Mass Trek
by OrionArion
Summary: A TNG era crossover between Star Trek and Mass Effect. Commander Shepard of the Federation starship Normandy has discovered that Saren is attempting to do what Starfleet has feared ever since the discovery of the Prothean Archives on Mars: facilitate the return of the Reapers. Now she has to gather her team to stop him and Sovereign, the vangaurd of our destruction.
1. Chapter 1- Distress

_A/N: Welcome to 'Mass Trek', brought to you by the author of 'Potter and Gibbs'. Those of you who followed 'Bloodlines' have probably noticed it is no longer up. I felt the story had hit a brick wall and was floundering, so I scrapped it and might try again later._

_I noticed the limited number of Star Trek and Mass Effect crossovers and decided to write my own. I've always loved Star Trek. When it debuted it revolutionized Science Fiction and was a beacon of hope for humanity- that some day we would put aside our differences and work together to better ourselves and those around us. I hope to do the series justice in this tribute._

_Mass Effect, despite the ending to the third game, is an incredible series. I've played both as male Shepard and FemShep, and I love how the entire experience changes with minute alterations of choices. Like Star Trek, it is filled with iconic characters that are loved world wide. Who didn't feel affected by the sacrifice of Mordin Solus or Thane Krios slipping into the world beyond?_

_So, without further ado, I present 'Mass Trek'._

Story Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Star Trek

Mass Trek

Chapter 1: Distress

The Turian looked out the viewport at the Defiant class ship docked below him. His eyes glanced over the name painted over her hull, _Normandy_. He wondered what was so special about this ship to have it be the one to be entrusted with this mission. It didn't seem very special.

"Nihlus Kryik?"

The Turian turned towards the voice. His eyes glanced at her uniform pips- what he had learned signified rank in the Federation. She had three golden pips, signifying she had the rank of Commander. "Ah, you must be Commander Shepard," he replied after he recalled the data the Council had provided. "The Council was impressed by your successful defense of Bajor against the Batarians."

"Someone had to do something. Star Fleet couldn't get a fleet out there in time," Shepard admitted.

Nihlus glanced out the viewport at the small fleet that patrolled around the station. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem anymore, Commander."

Shepard followed his gaze, and this gave Nihlus a good look at the scar that slit her left eyebrow in two. "Still doesn't bring back the people lost."

"A little disappointed in your Federation, Commander?" Nihlus asked.

"Only in the politicians," Shepard told him. "It was the bureaucracy prevented us from stationing a fleet here in attempt not to provoke the Cardassians. Politicians shouldn't have a say in military matters."

"But now you're a hero to both the Federation and the Bajoran people. I hear the Klingons are interested in a visit from you."

"A Klingon Bird-of-Prey and his crew joined defense. I managed to get an surface-to-orbit battery online to assist them."

"His crew?" Nihlus asked. "I was under the impression you humans addressed your ships as if they were females."

"Klingons are a male-dominated society. They refer to their ships in the masculine form," Shepard explained.

"I must admit that there are gaps in my knowledge of the customs of the Federations and their allies," Nihlus told her as he rubbed his brow. "I hope I don't come about as rude."

"I've been privy to a couple first contacts, so I know how you feel," Shepard assured him. She gestured the way she had come. "Captain Anderson is waiting to welcome you aboard."

"What can you tell me about the _Normandy_?" Nihlus asked as they began to make their way to the docking port.

"She's a Defiant class starship, brand new at that. She's part of the new additions to Starfleet's response to the Batarian threat."

"I thought the Batarians signed a treaty with the Federation," Nihlus recalled.

"The treaty is paper thin, Spectre Kryik," Shepard explained. "Starfleet Intelligence believes that they will attack again. Starfleet's heavier presence here is partially as a deterrent, though they will give the Batarians quite the fight if they decide to transgress against us again." She pointed at the Klingon attack cruiser out the viewport. "And the Klingons are still insisting that we allow them to test their mettle against the Batarians."

Nihlus clicked with his mandibles. "From my experience with the Klingons I feel that they are cultural cousins of some sort with the Krogans."

"I haven't had the opportunity to meet any Krogan," Shepard admitted. "But if you think they are much like the Klingons, I'd don't think that I'd have any trouble with them."

"There aren't as many as there used to be since the rebellions-"

"The Krogan Rebellions?" Shepard asked. "I remember reading a report on them."

"I understand that there are a lot of people in the Federation who don't agree with what my military did to end it."

"The Genophage?" Shepard asked. "There are."

"Do you have an opinion on the Genophage, Commander?"

Shepard eyed him. "The Federation and its allies outlawed biological warfare."

"That's not an answer," Nihlus pointed out.

Shepard stopped and stared him straight in the eye. "_I _do not agree with your solution." She held up a hand to stop his response. "However, I cannot judge you or your species for it. I was not there. I did not see the desperation of your sector of the galaxy." She continued walking. "Besides, if the Krogan had expanded this way, we might have, eventually, been their subjects."

'Ah, but Krogan enjoy killing far too much for that,' Nihlus thought. 'But, they might have a bit of trouble from soldiers like you, Shepard.'

~Mass Trek~

Saren looked down at the Federation colony of Eden Prime. There, after being dug up by the colonists, was the key to finding the Conduit. The key to the Reapers' return. Soon, he would be rewarded for his loyal work.

~Mass Trek~

Joker expertly piloted the _Normandy _from DS9, a maneuver he could have done in his sleep. The starship could dance under his fingertips, but Starfleet frowned on such things unless absolutely necessary. Joker knew he had to bide his time, then he'd have a chance to show off exactly what the _Normandy _can do.

"Joker," Anderson barked from the Captain's Chair. "What's our ETA for Eden Prime?"

"Thirty minutes, Captain."

The doors at the rear of the bridge opened to admit Shepard and Nihlus. Both approached the Captain. Anderson turned in his chair to face them. "Spectre Kryik, welcome aboard the _Normandy_. I trust you've settled in quite nicely?"

"Yes Captain. My quarters are quite satisfactory. However, I wonder why Starfleet thought it only necessary to send what we consider a frigate at best."

Anderson smirked. "Don't underestimate the _Normandy_, Mr. Kryik. She is one of the few vessels in the Federation that can slip past every pirate and mercenary vessel seeking our intended cargo without noticing us. A Galaxy class like the _Enterprise _might be too big a target for them, but the _Normandy _is not what they expect."

"Perhaps, Captain, but if this ship can slip past the pirates and mercenaries, can it also slip past the Citadel fleet?"

Anderson's face dropped into a frown. "The Federation has no intention of committing acts of aggression against the Citadel."

"And that massive array on the edge of your space?" Nihlus inquired. "Is it not examining our space?"

"I am not privy to the array's operations," Anderson countered. "But don't think we don't know about the Salarian STG's efforts to gather intelligence on the Federation."

Nihlus smiled. Anderson recognized the Turian smile and returned it.

"Very well played, Captain. I look forward to working with you."

"Captain!' Joker called. "I'm picking up a distress signal from Eden Prime!"

Anderson swirled in his chair. "On screen!"

The view screen lit up with the distress signal, a bit garbled due to interference of some sort. Shepard realized the transmissions was from a cameraman's recording device.

A Federation Marine pushed the cameraman while she shouted at the civilian to get down. Phaser fire blasted through the air.

The camera man focused on the object in the sky, some sort of large vessel looking to have strange tentacles at the bottom of the screen.

The transmission cut out.

"Joker," Anderson called out. "ETA?"

"Twenty five minutes, Captain," Joker replied.

"Increase speed to maximum warp," Anderson ordered. "Commander, prep your team."

"Captain," Nihlus spoke up. "I may be of assistance? I have extensive combat training."

Anderson looked at him. "Spectres only take the best, I take it. Commander, make sure Mr. Kryik is filled in on the layout of the colony."

"Maximum warp achieved," Joker replied. "ETA is now five minutes."

"Good luck, Commander," Anderson called after her.

Shepard tapped her comm badge. "Shepard to Alenko and Jenkins. Suit up and meet me in the transporter room."

"'Transporter room'?" Nihlus asked.

"How do you think the Federation was able to land marines so quickly during the First Contact War?"

"_What is this 'transporter'?" Nihlus asked._

_"You'll see. Just go along this corridor until you see the door labeled 'transporter room' and wait inside. I trust you have your weapons?"_

_"Yes," Nihlus replied._

_"Then get them ready," Shepard ordered. "We don't know what we're facing."_

_Nihlus followed her directions as Shepard went to gear up. Once inside the armory, she grabbed a compression rifle, a new addition to the Federation arsenal, from were they were stored near the older phaser rifle models. She also grabbed a type-II phaser as her side arm._

_Kaiden entered the armory and grabbed a type-II before grabbing an older model phaser rifle. When Jenkins entered he did likewise._

_"What's with you guys and not liking the compression rifle?" Shepard asked._

_"Sentimental value, Commander," Alenko told her. "I like the compression rifle, but it's not like these older models. I can't explain it, ma'am."_

_Shepard shuddered. "Don't call me that. It makes me sound like an old lady."_

_Jenkins chuckled. "No worries here, Commander. Hey, is that Spectre coming with us?"_

_"He's waiting in the transporter room," Shepard told them as she headed for the door._

_The trio entered the transporter room to find Nihlus eyeing the pad. He turned to them and, though Shepard thought it wasn't possible, he seemed a little pale. "I'm supposed to stand there, let your computer cut me into a million pieces, and then reassemble me on the planet's surface?!"_

_Shepard glanced at the Petty Officer standing behind the controls. "I take it you've been told how it works."_

_"Just have the Captain send us down in a shuttle craft!" Nihlus insisted._

_"It isn't going to kill you!" Jenkins assured him as the young Corporal stepped onto the pad. "See, we're fine with it."_

_Kaiden stepped onto the pad as well. "Come on. We've done this hundreds of times."_

_Nihlus still continued to hesitate, so Shepard grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the pad. "Energize," she ordered, "before the Spectre here has a nervous breakdown."_

_The transporter hummed to life and before Nihlus had a chance to do anything, he was on the surface of Eden Prime._


	2. Chapter 2- Eden Prime

Mass Trek

Chapter 2: Eden Prime

Immediately after they materialized on the surface of Eden Prime, Shepard's team fanned out and determined if the area was clear. Nihlus, however, busied himself with an attempt to rid himself of the shock.

"Classic first transport," Kaidan diagnosed after he gave the Turian a once over. "Most non-Federation species go through it, so don't let it bother you!"

"What, by the spirits, was _that_?" Nihlus muttered.

"We were just transported to the surface," Shepard explained.

Nihlus looked at her. "It didn't hurt."

"What?" Kaidan asked.

"Getting cut to tiny pieces, crammed into a data stream, and then reassembled," Nihlus almost whispered. "This is insane. Do all your allies have this technology?"

Shepard eyed the tree line. "There are a lot of species with it."

"Why not stick with shuttles?" Nihlus asked. "They're simpler."

"Not as fast- and shuttles can be shot down," Shepard countered. "We need to move."

Nihlus shook himself. He had to pull himself together. "And this... _transporter _is how you were able to get your troops down to surfaces without us detecting it back during the First Contact War?"

Shepard twirled towards him. "Spectre, shut up." She approached him. "We used the transporter to get us to the surface faster and if you keep slowing us up with these questions, that time gained will be lost."

Nihlus met her eyes, then nodded. "Of course, Commander. My apologies, but I will be wanting answers when this mission is through."

"Maybe I'll answer them," Shepard replied. "Let's get this done."

Nihlus drew his disruptor rifle and focused himself. "Alright. I'll scout ahead and give you intel on the road ahead."

Shepard turned around to tell him exactly what she thought about his plan, but he had already slipped past her and rushed ahead. Shepard ended up turning herself all the way around and watched as he disappeared into the trees near the trail. "Damn it." She rubbed her temple with her left hand. "Well, so much for that. Standard formation, guys. Let's get moving."

Shepard led the other two up the trail from the transport site.

"Kryik is... interesting," Kaidan observed.

"Interested in... getting to know him better, Lieutenant?" Jenkins joked.

"Depends. Are you the competition?" Kaidan joked back.

Shepard shook her head at the joking. Guys.

Shepard stopped in her tracks and crouched, holding her arm up in a combat gesture to halt her team. She watched the terrain ahead closely. She tapped her tricorder with her left hand.

Kaidan pulled out his tricorder and opened it up. After a few moments of study, he put it away. "There's something ahead, alright," he whispered. "I can't tell what it is, though. I've never seen these kind of readings before."

Shepard signaled Jenkins to take point. Shepard followed and Kaidan brought up the rear.

Jenkins kept low and moved quickly towards a rock sticking out of the dirt. He almost made it.

Suddenly, some sort of alien drones appeared from over the terrain ahead. They immediately targeted Jenkins and fired on him. Shepard and Kaidan ducked behind cover, but Jenkins was caught in the open and mowed down.

The drones scanned for other targets but Shepard and Kaidan quickly popped up and fired their phaser rifles. They managed to destroy all but one before they had to duck down again.

"I think it's some sort of plasma-based weapon," Kaidan told her. "It reminds me of the footage of plasma torpedoes the Romulans used against Kirk's Enterprise."

"Worry about the science later," Shepard ordered. "Let's get out of this alive first."

"Aye aye."

Kaidan popped up and shot at the drone. The drone swerved off to the side and dodged the shot. Shepard threw herself to the side of the rock, aimed, and fired.

The drone exploded.

Shepard and Kaidan scrambled over to Jenkins, but it was already too late.

Kaidan scanned Jenkins with his tricorder. "He's gone."

"How did those weapons get past the shielding?" Shepard asked.

"Our shields weren't modulated to protect against small arms plasma fire. Wait a moment." Kaidan typed a few commands into his armor controls. "There. I can modulate your shields too."

"What about particle weapon fire?" Shepard asked.

"The modulations I made to my armor will block both particle and plasma fire, but at a reduced efficiency than modulating them for either one alone."

Shepard tapped commands into her armor. "This the way you do it?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan glanced at it. "That is correct, Commander. I didn't know that you were familiar with shield modulation theory."

Shepard closed Jenkins lifeless eyes and sighed. "I don't want to talk about it now, Alenko." She tapped her comm badge. "Shepard to Normandy."

_"Normandy here," _Anderson replied. _"We're on an encrypted channel."_

"Encountered some drones. We believe they belong to the attacks. They're using plasma based weaponry. Jenkins is dead."

Anderson sighed sadly. _"We'll lock onto his comm badge and beam him to the infirmary. Continue with the mission. The Prothean beacon is your priority."_

"Acknowledged. Shepard out." She turned to Kaidan. "Better not wait around. Move out."

Shepard and Kaidan moved quickly up the hill. They ran into a few more drones that they took care of easily enough now that they knew what to expect. The new modulation worked well enough, though Shepard noticed her shields drained at an accelerated rate under the plasma fire.

And it wasn't long until the came across Ashley Williams.

She ran as fast as she could as she dodged plasma fire from the drones. She tripped but turned the fall into a chance to return fire. She pulled out her type-II phaser and blasted the drones into oblivion.

Then she spotted the two unfamiliar shapes that held a colonist on a strange platform. She instinctively trained her phaser on the shapes, but paused in horror when she saw a spike punch though the colonist and lift him into the air.

Ashley rushed to her feet and dashed for cover. The strange, synthetic creatures pulled out rifles and tried to acquire her as a target.

Shepard and Kaidan opened fire on the synthetics and quickly destroyed them. Ashley glanced around the corner of her cover to make sure the coast was clear. Once she was satisfied, she approached Shepard.

"Commander. I am Chief Ashley Williams, colony security."

"Commander Shepard, First Officer of the _Normandy_. This is Lt. Alenko. What's the situation?"

"My squad was doing a patrol when we were ambushed. Never saw them coming. I'm the only one left."

"You injured?" Kaidan asked.

"Negative, sir. Just winded. Running for your life can do that."

"Then keep with us. We'll need your knowledge of the area."

"Aye, Commander."

"Take us to the beacon."

Ashley nodded and took point as she carried her phaser rifle at the ready.

They had short skirmishes with more of the synthetic creatures, but they came out of them on top and eventually reached the site... only to find it strangely empty. The three Federation soldiers looked around the dig site.

"It was here this morning. They must have moved it... maybe to the space port?" Ashley wondered aloud.

"How far?" Kaidan asked.

"We'll have to go up the hill, past the cargo storage yard and take the tram to where they would have taken it."

"Maybe the _Normandy _can beam it up," Kaidan suggested.

Ashley shook her head. "I overheard a bunch of the scientists say that it wouldn't be good for the beacon if anyone tried to use the transporters on it. They insisted it be moved manually."

"So that's why we have a small cargo shuttle in the shuttle bay," Shepard muttered. "Let's go, Chief."

They trudged up the hill to another site, but then they spotted the bodies up on spikes lowered to the ground.

"What the-?" Ashley whispered.

"They're alive!" Kaidan declared.

"No," Shepard corrected, eyeing the husk. "They've been through some sort of... assimilation."

Her point was quickly proved by the closest husk letting out a screech and charging them. The husks quickly fell to phaser fire and all was quiet again.

"What the hell?" Ashley cried. "What were those things?"

"They reminded me of Borg drones but... just... more feral."

Kaidan tilted his head. "Husks?"

Shepard nodded. "That's a good as name as any. Let's get going. Nihlus might need us to save him."

~Mass Trek~

Nihlus crouched behind the shipping crate and peaked around the corner at his target. Once the other Turian's back was turned, he quietly sprang into the open and aimed his disruptor rifle. Then, his eyes grew wide and he lowered his weapon. "Saren?"

Saren turned around, barely containing his surprise. "Nihlus," he replied while he kept his voice even and calm.

"What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked. "You're deep in Federation space!"

"The Council doesn't trust the Federation to keep their word," Saren lied. "They sent me to watch your back."

Nihlus looked at the surrounding area. "What are those creatures? The looked to be synthetic life forms."

"I don't know," Saren lied again as he quietly drew and leveled a disruptor pistol at Nihlus. "They aren't like anything I've seen before."

~Mass Trek~

Shepard reached the crest of the hill just in time to witness Saren vaporize Nihlus with a disruptor. Her eyes widened at the scene, then narrowed in anger. She aimed her compression rifle at the rogue Spectre and fired.

Saren ducked as a phaser blast missed his head by a few inches. He glanced up at Shepard as she lead her team down the hill. He marveled at her skill for a moment. She had shot at him from that distance and only missed by a few inches. He allowed himself to feel impressed by this Federation soldier's skill before he ordered the surrounding Geth to attack Shepard as he made for the trams.

Shepard saw the Turian make a break for the trams and knew he'd get away this time if she judged the number of synthetics right. She slid into cover as the creatures returned fire. Ashley managed a shot before she too had to take cover.

Kaidan put his rifle to good use and laid down suppressive fire on their opponents. Shepard and Ashley snuck around and used Kaidan's covering fire to good use. It wasn't long before they cleared the cargo storage yard.

"Away team to _Normandy_," Shepard called out after she tapped her comm badge.

_"_Normandy _here, Commander," _Anderson replied.

"We reached a cargo storage yard just in time to see Spectre Kryik killed by another Turian. Kryik was vaporized by a disruptor."

Anderson swore over the comm. _"We'll worry about that later, Shepard. Get that beacon! _Normandy _out."_

Shepard's team raced for the trams only to find more invaders on it. They fought their way to the other end and activated the front tram.

"It will take ten minutes to get to the other side, Commander," Ashley informed her as they began to move. "That Turian has too much of a lead. He's going to get to the beacon first."

"Yeah, but we won't let him leave with it," Kaidan assured her. "Besides, the _Normandy _won't let him leave orbit."

"What the hell is a Defiant-class going to do against that?" Ashley shouted over the wind as she pointed at the 'mother ship'. "That thing's huge! I looks like it could take down a squadron of Galaxy-classes!"

~Mass Trek~

Saren approached the beacon. He glanced at the Geth that walked beside him. "Set the charges. Destroy the colony." The Geth hefted its rifle and turned around to comply with the order.

Saren stepped in front of the beacon and gazed up at it before it gripped him in its power and showed him its secrets.

~Mass Trek~

Shepard's team arrived at the spaceport just as the 'mother ship' was taking off. Ashley was the first to jump off the tram.

"Dammit!" She screamed. "He's getting away!"

"There's no way he could have grabbed the beacon that quickly." Kaidan pointed out. "Council races don't have transporter tech."

"We've got more pressing issues," Shepard informed them. Kaidan and Ashley followed her gaze.

The synthetics had stolen a photon torpedo from the colony's armory and rigged it to be a bomb. Shepard couldn't read the alien display, but she figured it was the timer. "Alenko! Scan for more bombs! Williams, cover me!"

As Kaidan broke out his tricorder again, Shepard rushed to disarm the warhead. As she was quite familiar with the design, she managed it within thirty seconds.

"There's another one across the way!" Kaidan pointed. "The rest are on that side."

"How many?" Ashley asked.

"At three!," Kaidan replied. "Commander, if any of them detonate-"

"They'll blow the colony to kingdom come!" Shepard shouted from the bridge above him, already in a full sprint with Ashley in hot pursuit. "Now move your ass, Alenko!" Shepard quickly fired off a volley of shots that hit three targets. She slid behind a wall and got to work on the next makeshift bomb.

Kaidan and Ashley picked synthetics off as Shepard rushed the disarmament. The process was simple and relatively safe, provided one knew what they were doing, like Shepard did. She beat her previous time by two seconds and picked her rifle back up.

Plasma fire was soon filtered out of the air by phaser fire and Shepard's team progressed forward, their only major stop was to disarm a bomb. When the last was made safe, they approached the dock.

After a brief shootout with husks and robots, they finally arrived at the beacon.

Kaidan smirked and gestured at the beacon. "See? I told you he didn't take it."

Shepard tapped her comm badge. "Away team to _Normandy."_

_As Shepard talked with Anderson, Kaidan stepped closer to the beacon. Then, all of a sudden, it activated and started to pull him in. "Whoa!"_

_Shepard spun around, pushed Ashley aside, and ran for her junior officer. She tackled him and freed him from the beam, but was caught in it herself._

_Then the beacon began to transmit right into her mind. It showed horrible things. It filled her mind with death._

_And that was the last thing she remember before the beacon exploded and knocked her out._


	3. Chapter 3- Nar Rayya

Mass Trek

Chapter 3: Nar Rayya

Shepard woke very abruptly. She knew she was in the _Normandy_'s infirmary. She felt the cortical stimulator's weight on her forehead and reached up to remove it. A familiar hand stopped her.

"Shepard," Chakwas chided. "It has to stay on for a few more minutes. Please be patient."

Shepard lowered her hand and smiled. "Doctor. By your bedside manner, I suppose I'm going to live?"

"More thanks to your body's resilience than my doctoring," Chakwas admitted. "I swear, Shepard, you have more lives than a cat."

Shepard opened an eye warily. "And sometimes I think I had used up the last one. With all the close calls I had on Bajor..."

Chakwas smiled and squeezed Shepard's hand. "I think your luck will hold for another fight. Just try to stay out of my infirmary next time."

Shepard chuckled a bit, then her stomach growled. Both women glanced down at her gut.

"Well," Chakwas grinned. "That's a good sign. I think a nice brunch is in order."

The door to the infirmary hissed open and Captain Anderson stepped through. "Well, glad to see my first officer has awakened."

"She'll be fine by the time we dock at DS9, Captain," Chakwas reported. "However, I am placing her on light limited duty until then," she added as she handed the Captain a data pad for him to review.

"Few hours then? Any special instructions with that?" Anderson asked with a desire to hear it from the doctor rather than read some dull report.

"I'm fine!" Shepard protested.

"A Prothean beacon blew up in your face, Jessie," Anderson informed her.

"Captain, this is the second ship we've served together on. You should know me better than to think I'd an invalid after something like this."

"I know Shepard, but neither you nor I have encountered unexamined Prothean tech before now. I'll take every precaution to make sure you're okay."

Shepard sighed heavily. "You didn't call my mother, didn't you?"

"And explain how you were injured on my watch? Hell no!" he announced.

"You know the Excelsior's Captain, David?" Chakwas asked.

Shepard took it upon herself to explain. "The Captain and my mother went through the Academy together."

"You mean I got her through the Academy," Anderson argued.

"Funny," Shepard replied with a quirky smile. "That's what she said about you." Before Anderson could form a rebuttal, she turned back to Chakwas. "Are waffles a satisfactory brunch, Doctor?"

"Extra whip cream with strawberries?" Chakwas asked.

"And blueberries on the side," Shepard insisted. "Don't forget the milk!"

Anderson smirked. "I'll take a coffee, Jamaican blend. Double strong."

"Damn it David! I'm a doctor, not a waitress!" Chakwas protested. "And I've already told you to cut down on the caffeine."

Anderson held up his hands in surrender. "Alright alright. Make it decaf. And double sweet! It'd be undrinkable otherwise," he added.

"What part of _'I'm not a waitress' _do you not understand?"

"Ah, but then you can make sure I'm cutting down on the caffeine," Anderson pointed out.

Chakwas sighed in annoyance. "Fine. One large serving of waffles with double cream, strawberries, and blueberries on the side with one decaf coffee, Jamaican blend, double strong and double sweet." The requested food appeared in the replicator. "I must be the most educated waitress in Starfleet."

"And we love you, mama Chakwas," Shepard told her as she imitated a child. "God bless you."

Chakwas couldn't help but smile at her antics.

Anderson took a sip of the coffee. "What happened down there, Shepard?"

~Mass Trek~

Shepard waved off Kaidan's attempt to assist her as she walked through the docking port's airlock. "Jeez, Alenko. I'm not an invalid!"

"Dr. Chakwas said not to strain yourself," Kaidan reminded her.

"Lifting my feet to clear the lip of the door is hardly straining myself. Now disappear," She ordered in annoyance.

Ashley grabbed Kaidan by the arm. "Come on, El-tee. You shouldn't smother a strong woman by mothering her. She's likely to break your neck." Then, to Shepard's relief, Ashley led him away.

Shepard took another route to the Promenade. Once there, she took her time to browse little shops around before finally making it to Quark's Bar.

"Ah, Commander!"

Shepard turned towards the voice. "Chief O'brien." Shepard glanced at the box in his hands. "What's this?"

"Perhaps you'd like to see for yourself," the Chief replied. "While you were gone, we had a bit of... drama."

"Oh?"

"Miss Zorah!" O'brien called out.

A figure in a full body suit, complete with facemask and topped with a hood, turned from a table. "Chief?"

O'brien approached with the box and placed it on the table. "This is all we could recover from your ship. Commander Sisko sends his regards."

"Thank you. And you are?" Miss Zorah asked.

"Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_." Shepard reached out for a handshake, which the other woman accepted.

"Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya. I am a Quarian, if you're wondering."

"I'm afraid I've never heard of them."

"Tali here is on a pilgrimage," O'brien explained. "She came to the station a few days ago. Her ship was in sad shape and in dire need of repair."

"I came across a Cardassian ship," Tali informed Shepard. "I took heavy damage and Commander Sisko was generous to grant me asylum."

"Then after she got settled on the station a fugitive tried to steal her ship to escape Odo and... well... our tractor beam tore her ship apart."

"It wasn't your fault, Chief," Tali argued.

"Well I should have realized the hull couldn't take the strain," O'brien admitted.

Tali quickly changed the subject. "So how do you two know each other?"

Shepard smiled. "O'brien was part of the station's response to the Batarian attack on Bajor."

"Those bastards knew what an attack on the station would get them," O'brien told Tali. "Captain Sisko fought tooth and nail to get this station battle ready once we discovered the Batarians were on the other side of the wormhole."

"And no one though they'd try hitting Bajor instead," Shepard continued for him. "Commander Sisko loaded the Defiant as quickly as possible to assist those of us on the surface."

"And you were on Bajor?" Tali asked.

"I was assigned to convince the Bajorans to denounce the Marquis, an organization that performs terrorist attacks against the Cardassians. When the Batarians attacked, I helped defend the planet."

"Saved the planet, more likely," O'brien added.

"I had help," Shepard argued. "And the Batarian never expected us to successfully beam a tri-cobalt bomb onto their flagship." Shepard turned to O'brien. "If I recall, you walked me through that procedure."

Tali cried in joy and snatched an item from the box. "You found it!"

"Great!' O'brien exclaimed. "What is it?"

Tali showed them. "The data disk with my genealogy recorded on it. It's my only copy of my family tree and their journals! If I had lost this for good, I would have felt a lost a piece of myself!"

"Can I get you all something?" Quark asked as he slithered up to their table. "Saurian brandy, maybe?"

"Quark, must I remind you that you don't have anything in dextro-amino?" Tali exclaimed. "And if you did, it probably isn't filtered enough!"

Shepard blinked. "You're dextro-amino?" she asked as Quark walked away in a huff.

"All Quarians are," Tali informed her.

"So are Turians," Shepard replied. "And the _Normandy _had a Turian onboard, so I had to make sure we had Turian cuisine installed in the replicators."

"Okay, but how does this help me?" Tali asked. "Quarians don't have strong immune systems. Even short exposure to the outside atmosphere would kill us."

"Perhaps we could do a quick refit," O'brien speculated. "If Adams and I were to install a small decontamination chamber in the entrance of one of the compartments, Tali here could have a room where she could rest and recuperate outside her suit."

"I appreciate the thought, Chief, but how can I pay for something like that?"

Shepard lifted a pistol out of the box. She looked it over for a moment and eyed Tali. "Perhaps you can start by telling me anything you know about synthetic beings who use small arms plasma weapons."

~Mass Trak~

"By examining the technology we captured on Eden Prime, we've confirmed that they are Quarian based," Shepard reported as she stood to the side of the small viewscreen in the _Normandy_'s conference room. She pressed a button on the display and the comparison between the Quarian and Geth tech vanished from the screen. "Tali'Zorah claims that the Geth rebelled against the Quarians five-hundred years ago and they have been wandering ever since." Shepard sat down at her usual seat next to Anderson.

"My people first looked for allies to retake the homeworld," Tali added. "After finding no one willing to help, we eventually decided to begin again by settling a new world, but we haven't found one close enough to Rannoch to work."

Doctor Bashir spoke up. "Tali, along with the rest of her people I assume, have very weak immune systems. Because of time and the complicated physiology of the Quarian people, including their dextro-amino requirements, I haven't been able to come up with a treatment."

"As much as I'd like to help these people," Anderson announced, "we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Tali actually can help us there, sir," Shepard replied. "Tali?"

Tali pressed a command in her suit's controls. "I encountered a Geth scout and took its transmitter. I received this transmission not too long ago. I couldn't make heads or tails of it until I heard Shepard had just come from Edem Prime."

_"Eden Prime was a major victory," _a voice announced. _"The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_

Anderson leaned in. "That's Saren Arterius! He's a Spectre!"

"There's more," Tali told him. "This man wasn't working alone. He was talking with someone over a comm siganl."

_"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," the recording finished._

_To his credit, Anderson didn't show any reaction except to glance at Sisko who was seated to his left. That last bit was the bit that worried him the most. "Commander, ensure that Miss Zorah is made comfortable. She'll be coming with us to the Citadel. Commander Sisko and I need to speak with Starfleet Command. Dismissed."_

_Once everyone else in the room had left, Sisko turned to Anderson. "This is bad, David."_

_"Tell me something I don't know. In the two hundred years since the discovery of the archives we've been dreading this day."_

_"Should we stop at Starfleet Command?" Sisko asked. "Maybe warn the Klingons or the Bajorans?"_

_"We'll let Starfleet Command worry about that," Anderson replied. "Then prepare ourselves for war."_


	4. Chapter 4- The Plot Thickens

Mass Trek

Chapter 4: The Plot Thickens

Shepard glanced over Adam's and O'Brien's work. "I'm not much of an engineer, but even I can tell you guys are incredible at this. Look at that. Perfectly seamless."

"This is perfect!" Tali almost squealed. "Thank you so much!"

"Just let us clear away our tools and we'll sanitize the interior," Adams told Tali. "Then you can step inside and frolic all you want."

Ashley tapped the final command into the replicator. "Alright. I've made a new menu for Tali. Basically the same as the Turian food, but free from anything harmful." She suddenly sighed in annoyance and did a few quick rotations with her shoulders.

"Chief, you okay?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Its... uh..." She glanced around, leaned in, and whispered the rest. "This new bra, Commander. My apartment on Eden Prime was destroyed and I had to buy a whole new wardrobe when we got here. I knew I should have gone with that Cardassian tailor."

"What's wrong with the bra?" Shepard asked.

"It fit fine when I tried it on, but now... it's not sitting right."

"What's a bra?" Tali asked, also in a whisper.

"It's an undergarment that supports breasts," Shepard replied. She glanced over her shoulder to check for any male ears. After she found that O'Brien and Adams had cleared out, she turned back. "What do Quarians wear as undergarments?"

"Undergarments? Well, none, actually."

"What?" Ashley asked.

"Undergarments are a waste of material that could be used to make or repair our bio-suits. My suit has a soft frame to support my breasts."

"Well, you'll be the only person in this room, so you don't have to worry about taking off the suit in here," Ashley reminded her.

"Commander?" Adams called from the outside.

"Yes?"

"We're ready to sanitize the room. You may want to come outside. I don't think even Miss Zorah should be in there when we do this."

The three girls stepped out of the room and the small airlock doors closed after them. Adams activated the purge and they waited the thirty seconds until the computer reported that the room was clear. Adams then programmed the life support system to match the conditions in the room to that of Tali's suit.

"Okay, we're done here. Just step into the sanitizer and it'll be safe to enter the room."

"Thanks, Adams," Shepard told him. "Now go enjoy what shore leave we have left."

Adams and O'Brien left as they talked about the latter's holosuite programs. Tali stepped cautiously into the sanitizer and the doors closed behind her. Shepard could hear a hissing sound, and then inner doors open and shut.

Shepard and Ashley waited a bit before Shepard tapped her comm badge. "Shepard to Tali'Zorah,"

_"Tali'Zorah here."_

"How is it, Tali?"

_"Fantastic Shepard. Uh... what is this tall, open box in the corner?"_

Ashley smiled. "I set up a field sonic shower in there. I figured you might feel like getting clean."

_"Sonic shower?" _Tali asked.

"It cleans you without using any sort of liquid," Shepard replied. "You shouldn't hear anything. Try it when you've got the suit off. And remember to have the computer set an alarm for you. Adams wants you in Engineering at 0800 tomorrow."

_"Thank you Shepard and Chief. See you tomorrow."_

"Good thinking Chief," Shepard told Ashley as she ended the call.

"She's a nice girl," Ashley replied. "She's also been through a lot."

"You wanted to help her," Shepard added. "I feel the same."

"So, she's going to join our little crew?"

"She's our only source of intel on the Geth. Plus, she's got combat training with those plasma weapons. What were they, a shot gun and pistol?"

"Right on the nose, Commander," Ashley replied. "Any word on the relief fleet?"

"The Eighth fleet will arrive in sixteen hours with relief vessels. The fleet will also scour the region for that mother ship's warp signature."

"Will we be able to recognize a Geth warp signature?" Ashley asked. "We haven't encountered them before."

"Then they'll look for the one out of place," Shepard replied.

_"Anderson to Shepard."_

Shepard tapped her comm badge. "Shepard here, sir."

_"Report to the conference room on the double."_

"On my way, sir. Later Chief."

~Mass Trek~

Anderson was alone when Shepard arrived. His gaze unfocused out towards the deepness of space. Shepard waited a few moments before she interrupted the Captains thoughts. "Captain?"

"Things are coming to a head with the Citadel Council," Anderson informed her. "They've looked over our reports on the incident on Eden Prime. And they're not happy."

"Have you forwarded Miss Zorah's evidence?" Shepard asked.

"Not yet. They're sending a C-Sec officer to bring you before them."

"C-Sec? They don't have any jurisdiction outside the Citadel," Shepard thought aloud.

"They say they don't want to risk you killing another Spectre."

"Me?! It was Saren! I saw him!"

"I know, Shepard," Anderson assured her as he turned to face her. "I know. But they can't believe that one of their own would betray them." Anderson moved to his seat. "The _Normandy _will go to the Citadel once the C-Sec officer is aboard. Our orders are to cool off the Council by any means possible. Starfleet wants to avoid a war."

"I understand sir."

"Turian vessels are not as advanced as ours, but their warships are built for precisely that- war. We don't have a lot in that luxury. Even the Galaxy-Class vessels aren't built solely for war."

"The _Normandy _is," Shepard pointed out.

"All _Defiant_-class vessels are. They were built to combat the Borg, for heavens sake. And the _Akira_-classes are entering the scene in force."

"Even though most of our fleet is not built specifically for war, we could take the Citadel on and win. We did a hundred years ago. And a _Galaxy_-class can match a dreadnaught."

"Our job isn't to determine if we can win a war with the Citadel," Anderson rebuked. "Starfleet isn't a warmongering machine. Our orders are to stop an all out war anyway we can. And this business with Saren is going to strain that."

"We'll succeed, sir," Shepard promised.

"Once we are at the Citadel, we will meet with Federation Ambassador T'Vran and the IHC Ambassador Udina."

Shepard blinked. "IHC, sir?"

"The Independent Human Colonies is a government of colonies inside Council Space settled by Humans after the First Contact War. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them, Commander. They're barely a footnote in history and their name is only to mock the Federation."

"Why did they leave?" Shepard asked.

"Pick a reason. The ban on genetic enhancements. The Khitomer Accords. The Prime Directive. They left the Federation and let old wounds fester. The environment of the IHC allowed the creation and growth of Cerberus."

Shepard's eyes widened briefly. "The pro-human terrorist group?"

"Rumor has it they've provided the IHC with ships for their fleet in exchange for looking the other way," Anderson replied.

"Where did they get the ships?" Shepard asked.

"Starfleet Intelligence figures they bought or stole ships from scrap yards or have salvaged derelicts. The Confederate Fleet is a ragtag fleet of ships, and not just old Federation ones either. Klingon, Cardassian, even a few Romulan. I know," Anderson added as Shepard blinked in surprise. "I was surprised too. The IHC is a significant enough presence to warrant an embassy on the Citadel."

"Do you know the military strength of the IHC?" Shepard asked.

"They've amassed enough ships that they've scared off a lot of Batarian pirates." Anderson rubbed his forehead. "As much as I admire their tenacity, I don't admire their choice of Ambassador."

"You've met Udina?"

"Yeah. During my visits to the Citadel. He's an IHC politician. They scheme more than ours do. I wouldn't be surprised if he had Cerberus ties."

"But why is he meeting us?"

"He's claiming that, 'Federation blundering is placing a black mark on the good people of the colonies.' Direct quote."

"So he's being a thorn in our side," Shepard translated.

"More or less."

Shepard sighed. "How long until the C-Sec officer gets here?"

"Tomorrow."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "So soon? How far is the Citadel from here?"

"It's on the border of the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants."

"Then how-"

"The entirety of Citadel space is covered by a web of Prothean transwarp conduits," Anderson explained. "Their system of Relays connect each their territories together into one alliance. The closest Relay is a half a day away. It's guarded by one of our battle groups."

"Why haven't we found more of these?" Shepard asked.

"We've found four. One is buried inside Charon."

"Pluto's moon?"

"The very same. They only work when they are connected to the network."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Shepard asked.

"The Federation decided that this is a need to know basis. If the Marquis knew then they'd stop at nothing to find more and use them against the Cardassians," Anderson explained. "It's bad enough that Cerberus is operating with the network."

Anderson picked up a data pad. "You'll need to meet the C-Sec officer at the docking port when he comes in. He's coming in on the Volus freighter _Obit_."

"What's his name?" Shepard asked.

"Vakarian. Garrus Vakarian."

_A/N: Okay. I hope that answered some questions raised. I know that there isn't a lot of forward movement in this chapter, but the next ones should move along nicely... I hope._

_The reason I made up the IHC is that I felt that there would be quite a few people who would leave the Federation for some reason or another and the Citadel Council would have been happy to accommodate the emigrants._

_I imagine the IHC do not follow the treaties made by the Federation. So they might be try to develop a cloaking device but it won't be able to fool Federation sensors because the Federation has been working on ways to detect cloaked vessels (like the Romulans or Klingons) which would have much more sophisticated than anything the IHC would have developed. It would be interesting to see how Shepard would battle a cloaked IHC vessel... if that is something you all would like to see it._

_Until next time._


	5. Chapter 5- Vakarian

Mass Trek

Chapter 5: Vakarian

Garrus stepped off the _Obit_ onto Deep Space Nine and took a deep breath that brought him a surge of relief. The trip was nor a good one. He hoped the _Normandy _would be more comfortable. He had heard _Defiant_-class ships were designed purely as warships and he recalled that he had been comfortable on them before. He was curious to see how a Federation warship differed from a Turian one.

"Officer Vakarian?"

Garrus turned toward the voice. He recognized the owner from the file he had been studying ever since he got this assignment. "Commander Shepard. Garrus Vakarian. I-"

"Before you continue," Shepard interrupted, "I need to know one thing."

"Yes, Commander?" Garrus asked.

"Are you here to arrest me?" Shepard asked. "I looked over the communiqué the Council sent the Captain and it sounded to me that you were supposed to arrest me."

Garrus blinked in surprise. "Wha-? Spirits no, Commander! I'm not here to arrest you. I appologize for the confusion."

"Then... why _are _you here, Mister Vakarian?" Shepard asked, a bit confused herself.

"I volunteered to escort you to the Citadel," Garrus explained. "My investigation of Saren kept getting derailed at every turn and-"

"You're investigating Saren?" Shepard asked.

"Officially, C-Sec's investigation into Saren ended weeks ago when Executor Palin shut it down, but I secretly kept going on my own. I was really getting frustrated until I heard that a Starfleet captain had accused Saren of attacking the Federation colony of Eden Prime and a commander claiming that she had seen him murder a fellow Spectre. I couldn't get to my supervisor fast enough to get here."

"So you're here just for evidence on Saren?" Shepard asked.

"If you have something that will nail that bastard to the wall, then I'd be in your debt, Commander," Garrus admitted. "Spirits, I'd almost give my first born to get my hands on that evidence."

Shepard smirked mischievously at him. "Well, I think we can make your day."

Garrus laughed. "Get me some solid evidence and you'll be making my entire _year_."

~Mass Trek~

Adams glanced over at Anderson as the Captain entered the engine room. "Morning, Captain. Making your rounds?"

Anderson smiled at his chief engineer. "That, and I wanted to see how Miss Zorah was working out."

Adams chuckled. "Never seen anyone take to this stuff like that before. She took to it like a fish in water and is learning quickly."

Anderson leaned on the console while careful not to press any of the buttons. "Learned anything about her people?" he asked.

"She's been doing most of the learning, sir," Adams admitted. "I've gleaned a some things from our conversations and got a chance to look at some of the tech recovered from what used to be her ship."

"And?" Anderson asked.

"It's roughly at the level of our tech back in the 23rd century, and the ship was one of the few that still existed from the time of their retreat from the Geth five hundred years ago. If they hadn't been forced to leave their space, they might have developed enough to have us eating their dust."

"Where is their homeworld?" Anderson asked.

"Apparently, it's in the Delta Quadrant. I know that because Tali and I were able to salvage a bit of the navigational memory," Adams replied. "They took a meandering course through the Beta Quadrant." Adams gave the Captain a questioning look. "May I ask if you're looking solely to satisfy your own curiosity?"

Anderson smirked. "Mine, Starfleet's, and humanitarian organizations across the quadrant."

"What? How did they find out?" Adams asked.

"It's not easy keeping a secret on this station," Anderson replied. "Which is one reason why I want us ready to go as soon as Vakarian arrives."

"We're ready now, sir," Adams reported. "Just give the word and we'll deliver."

"Good man," Anderson praised. "I knew you'd live up to your reputation as a superb engineer."

~Mass Trek~

Garrus placed his gear in the quarters he had been assigned to and then left to follow Shepard to the bridge. "This is a fine ship, Commander."

"I thought so too," Shepard admitted. "She's a bit larger than other _Defiant_-classes."

"Why is that?" Garrus asked.

"The _Normandy _is designed for long range operations, so she needs a bit more breathing room. We even have a small holodeck."

Garrus looked at her inquisitively. "Holodeck?"

"A room that projects a holographic environment, objects, and virtual beings for recreation," Shepard explained.

"I have a hard time believing a hologram can portray a realistic environment," Garrus informed her. He activated his omni-tool. "This is about the extent of our holographic abilities," he explained.

Shepard smiled at him. "Looks like we'll have to get you time on the holodeck, Mister Vakarian."

"Commander!"

Shepard stopped and turned towards the voice. "Morning, Chief. What can I do for you?"

Ashley handed her a datapad. "Captain Anderson has assigned me as the LCPO of the _Normandy_'s security teams. I need your authorization to gain the necessary computer access."

Shepard glanced over the document before she thumbed her authorization. "You'll need to inform Lieutenant Adams about your assignment. You should find him in Engineering." Shepard leaned closer. "Did you rectify that undergarment situation?" she asked in a whisper as she handed the datapad back.

"Last night, ma'am," Ashley replied. "I'm much more comfortable now."

"Good. Later Chief," Shepard declared as she turned away. "Mister Vakarian, the Captain will want to see you."

"Please, Commander. Mister Vakarian is my father," Garrus protested. "Either drop the 'mister' or call me Garrus," he pleaded.

~Mass Trek~

The _Normandy _passed by the Starbase stationed by the only active Relay in Federation space after she received the necessary permission to use the Relay. Joker lovingly set her on the proper approach vector while the crew gazed at the Relay on the viewscreen. Garrus, however, stared elsewhere.

"That's a _Galaxy_-class?" Garrus asked in deep awe.

Shepard followed his line of sight and her eyes landed on the vessel in question. "Yes. That is the _Odyssey_. She's commanded by Captain Keogh."

"The Asari kept bragging about how the _Destiny Ascension _outguns one of those, but she doesn't look anywhere near as _majestic _as the ship I'm looking at," Garrus confessed.

"The new Asari dreadnought?" Ashley asked. "I heard about it when she was commissioned. They made her the flagship of the Citadel Defense Fleet, right?"

"Yes," Garrus answered. "But they designed and built her solely because of the Federation's development of the _Galaxy_-class. It was a rushed job and they crammed too many guns and not enough engines. Her sub-light engines take her forever to get her up to full impulse and her warp core can only get her up to warp five. And how did the Asari make up for it after her shakedown cruise? Refitted that huge hole in her to be able to dock a bunch of frigate." Garrus sighed. "All they did was build an oversized defense platform that could move."

"Why didn't the Asari just gut her and correct this?" Shepard inquired.

"Best I can figure, they ran out of time before they had to deliver a final product to their command," Garrus theorized. "Asari High Command pawned it her off on the Citadel. She looks good and she can lay down fire like nothing else, but good luck getting her to move." He pointed at the _Odyssey_, which had begun to disappear off the viewscreen. "Now, _that _is a ship. Warp nine point nine five capability, more phaser banks you can shake a stick at, and shields that can shrug off fire from half a dozen Turian cruisers." Garrus siged. "And the Federation doesn't call her a warship. Frankly, I'm a bit scared of what you _would _call a warship."

Shepard looked pointedly at him. "Garrus, you're on one."

"What?"

"The _Defiant_-class was designed to be a warship- designed to combat the Borg, specifically," Shepard explained.

Garrus frowned. "Okay, let me rephrase. If you had designed the _Galaxy_-class to be a warship, I'd piss my pants."

Shepard grinned. "Yeah, but it's still powerful enough to make someone think twice about attacking the Federation... or at least the Citadel races. The Romulans have their _D'deridex_-class warbirds to counter ours."

Garrus shook his head. "And all their ships have cloaking devices, from what I hear. How come they haven't used the cloaking devices to launch an invasion of your space?"

"Tachyon detection grids." Shepard replied. "We have them strung along the entirety of the Neutral Zone. The minute a cloaked vessel crosses it, half the Federation knows."

"We're in range of the Relay," Joker announced, interrupting their conversation. "Captain! The Relay is enveloping us with energy of some sort!"

"Don't worry. It's jut prepping us to enter the transwarp conduit." Anderson informed him.

Suddenly, a bright light flooded the bridge for a brief moment. When it faded, the stars had disappeared from the viewscreen and the tunnel of the conduit replaced them.

"We're at transwarp," Joker called out. "I think. I can't get a fix on our speed."

"It's not speed, Joker," Anderson corrected. "It's displacement. Our impulse engines are pushing us through the conduit, but we're crossing hundreds of light-years in the blink of an eye."

"What's our ETA at the Citadel?" Shepard asked.

"We've got three hours, Commander," Anderson replied. "You, Lieutenant Alenko, and Chief Williams should coordinate you presentation with Officer Vakarian. He should be able to give you good feedback on it."

_A/N: When you picture the Relays of Mass Trek, picture the Relays of Mass Effect. I just repurposed them to maintain the doorway to the network rather than being massive engines that shoot you across space._

_I've been having a big talk with _korrd_ about the tech of the Citadel races. He (or she, I didn't think to ask) made a lot of good point. So, I would like to take a moment to thank _korrd _for the input he/she provided and I encourage everyone to send kudos his/her way._

_I first thought to make the _Destiny Ascension _way more powerful than I did in the chapter until _korrd _pointed out how far the Citadel races had their heads up their butts. With how I have the DA now, it can be taken out with the Picard Maneuver, but it is a bit harder to take down than the Ferengi ship during the Battle of Maxia. The Asari just wanted something out to counter the _Galaxy_-class but the DA turned out to have the problems I mentioned above, so the next builds of the class will be redesigned to correct these flaws but will end up with a less powerful ship for it._


	6. Chapter 6- The Council

Mass Trek

Chapter 6: The Council

Shepard and Garrus went through all the collected evidence against Saren with a fine toothed comb. Shepard had transcribed the recording Tali had captured so they didn't have to listen to the traitor's voice so much. Now, she sat on her bed while Garrus had taken the offered chair at her small desk as she held the datapad between them.

"Could Saren be referring to a transwarp conduit?" Shepard wondered aloud. "Maybe one of the ones connected to the Relays?"

Garrus frowned. "I doubt it's one connected to the network, otherwise he would have found it already." Garrus took the pad and looked over the transcript of Tali's evidence, then a thought occurred to him. "Except if it wasn't connected to the rest of the network."

Shepard tilted her head a bit to the side. "What are you thinking?"

Garrus brought up a map on the pad. "These are the known Relay destinations. Look at this one," he requested as he zoomed in on one system. "That is were Omega is. It is the only system I know of with _two _Relays." He pointed at the one with a dangerous, red hue. "That is the Omega Four Relay. No ship has ever returned from going through it... other than the Collectors, but no one knows much about them."

"So you think Saren is looking for a Relay that no one has found before?" Shepard asked. "One that has to do with these Reapers?"

Shepard's door chimed. She signed before she responded. "Come."

Anderson stepped through. "You two got a minute?"

Shepard leaned back a bit. "Anytime Captain. We probably need the break anyway."

Garrus also leaned back. "An excellent suggestion, Commander."

Anderson crossed his arms and leaned on the bulkhead and didn't waste time beating around the bush. "This is bigger than just Saren."

_That _got the attention of the other two. Shepard sat straight up. "What do you mean?"

"Before we entered the network, we received a coded message from SI," Anderson explained.

"SI?" Garrus asked.

"Starfleet Intelligence," Shepard replied. "What did it say, sir?"

"Before we get into that, I have to swear you both to secrecy. Neither of you are to share this information with anyone unless deemed absolutely necessary. Clear?

"Aye sir," Shepard replied.

"Understood," Garrus answered with a nod.

Anderson took a moment to collect himself. Then he began without preamble. "There are Prothean archives on Mars."

Garrus almost jumped to his feet. "Prothean archives? No wonder the Federation has advanced so quickly in only two hundred years."

"That's only part of the reason we advanced so quickly," Anderson argued. "But the archives gave us more info than technological advancement."

"Which was?" Shepard asked.

"It was the Reapers that destroyed the Protheans."

Garrus' eyes went wide. "And Saren wants to bring them back?"

Shepard thought back to the mission on Eden Prime. "What about the ship I saw? Was that a Reaper ship?"

"SI believes it to be a vanguard," Anderson replied. "Hackett has already put the _Ilea _on high alert."

"The _Excelsior_-class stationed at the Citadel?" Garrus asked. "You think this Vanguard is going to attack the Citadel?"

"We haven't been able to find a lot of details about the initial attack," Anderson answered him. "Only that the Reapers took the Citadel and everything went down hill from there."

"Why did it go down hill from there? Were the Reapers that strong?" Shepard asked. "How did they beat such a strong, technologically advanced race?"

"Because the Prothean Empire depended on the Relays," Anderson explained. "Relays that were created not by the Protheans, but by the Reapers."

Garrus almost fell out of his chair. "The Reapers made the Relays?"

"SI didn't divulge how they came across that," Anderson admitted, "but they swear up and down that the Relays and the Citadel itself are indeed Reaper tech." He pushed off the bulkhead and stepped closer. "The loss of the Citadel was the beginning of the end because, like it is now for the Council races, it was the center of their government. Everything the Reapers needed to destroy the Protheans was there. Prothean star charts. Fleet deployments. Encryption codes. Armament details. Census records. The works. The Protheans managed to drag out the war for centuries, maybe even a millennia, but it was a losing fight. Each battle cost the Protheans dearly but they fought for every inch they lost. Reaper casualties were shockingly low at every turn."

"Reaper ships were that strong?" Shepard asked with dread.

"Reapers are that strong. What you saw on Eden Prime wasn't a ship," Anderson revealed.

Shepard's jaw dropped. "An actual Reaper?"

Garrus cradled his head in his hands, already calculating losses in his head.

"All is not lost," Anderson assured them. "The vanguard hasn't brought in reinforcements yet, there is still hope we can stop them... or at least slow them down. SI is working on counter measures. And we're not the only ones. When we signed the Khitomer Accords, the Federation President at the time sat down with the Klingon Chancellor and revealed what we knew about the Reapers. Some crazy politician with his head up his ass and dreams of glory got his hands on a bit of that data and tried to open negotiations with the Romulans by making it a gift. Both have been working to give the Reapers a harder fight than even the Protheans." Anderson turned to Shepard. "As soon as we deal with the Citadel Council, Hackett wants me to step aside as Captain of the _Normandy_."

"What?" Shepard almost shouted as she jumped to her feet. "Why?"

"I'm being promoted to Rear Admiral and tasked with preparing a Federation task force to jump in if the Reapers hit the Citadel," Anderson explained. "I'll be transferring to the _Ilea _the morning after your meeting with the Council."

~Mass Trek~

The _Normandy _exited the transwarp conduit near the Relay and the first thing they saw was the Turian battle group guarding the Relay amid the gasses of the nebula.

Joker looked through the viewscreen at the display. "Is it just me, or do they seem to be trying to put on display?"

Garrus glanced at the helmsman before he looked back at the ships outside. "Starfleet has a battle group stationed at the only operating Relay in the Federation. Why can't we have one to defend the Relay around the Citadel?"

"I'm not questioning the fleet's presence here," Joker countered. "Look at how they are flying their ships. Those formations are _way _to tight for anything other than showboating."

"Joker!" Anderson called from the Captain's Chair. "Set a course for the Citadel. Full impulse."

Joker tapped the appropriate controls. "Course and speed laid in."

"Engage," Anderson ordered.

Joker tapped the final control. "We're on our way, sir."

Anderson turned in his chair. "Are you accustomed to the tactical station yet, Chief Williams?"

Ashley looked up at him. "All caught up, sir. She's quite an impressive ship, Captain."

Anderson only nodded in response. He turned back to the screen just in time to see the Citadel come into view as the _Normandy _passed past the last cluster of gasses before the gigantic clearing in the middle of the nebula. Ashley quietly gasped at the scene.

The Citadel Defense Fleet filled the sky around the enormous space station. The most visible ones were the Destiny Ascension and the Turian dreadnoughts that all the other ships buzzed around.

"See what I mean?" Joker called out as he gestured at the viewscreen. "They're formations are way too tight for anything other than showing off."

"They're doing it because the _Normandy_, for all intents and purposes, is Federation warship," Shepard explained. "They're trying to show that they'll be ready if we try anything."

"But why would they think we'd try something?" Ashley asked. "We're at peace with them."

"Ever since the First Contact War the Council militaries have been scrambling to keep up with the Federation," Garrus admitted. "Starfleet scares the Turian military leaders. Hell, the Asari are spooked out of their minds- hence the botched job getting the Destiny Ascension developed. In the hundred years after Humans developed warp drive the Federation developed faster than we had in over a _thousand _years. Hell maybe even _two _thousand."

Joker rolled his eyes. "Starfleet loves exploring too much to start a war."

"I'm more worried about my people starting another one," Garrus replied in an exasperated sigh. "The war was because the Turians believed the Federation was an upstart species needed to be put in its place. We were the strongest military of the known galaxy." Garrus pointed at the _Ilea_, which just become visible as it orbited the Citadel. "And when you developed the original _Excelsior_-class, the Asari about pissed themselves. Everyone breathed easier when 'the Great Experiment' failed and the Federation didn't develop transwarp."

"Is there anyone unfriendly towards the Federation we should avoid?" Shepard asked.

Garrus thought for a bit before he answered, "I recommend coming armed."

~Mass Trek~

Ambassador T'Vran met the landing party which consisted of Anderson, Shepard, Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, and Tali outside the Embassy. "Captain Anderson, I trust you are well."

"Well enough, Ambassador," Anderson replied. "I thought Ambassador Udina was insisting on meeting us."

"I believe it prudent that he not be allowed to interfere," T'Vran replied. "This is matter is strictly between the Federation and the Citadel Council." She led them away from the Embassy and towards the Citadel Tower. "Udina is merely attempting to use this unfortunate situation to his advantage. He may claim to be acting for the good of the IHC, but make no mistake- he is solely seeking to uplift himself."

They arrived at the elevator at the bottom of the tower when they heard someone yelling after them. T'Vran ushered them inside. Tali was the last to enter before T'Vran herself, and the lift sealed itself and began its journey upwards before the running politician could reach it.

Anderson gave a quiet sigh of relief. "That was Udina. He must have seen us from his office."

The doors opened into the Council Chambers and they disembarked. Garrus stayed behind to tap something into controls of the lift before he rejoined the rest. At Shepard's questioning look, he gave a her a sly grin. "It'll inexplicably get stuck halfway on his way up."

Shepard returned the sly grin. "Do you know the Ambassador, Officer Vakarian?"

"A bit," he replied coyly. "Rumor has it that he has a... 'pet' that could get him into trouble... if he didn't have diplomatic immunity."

"Pet?" Shepard asked.

"Let's just say that rumor has it that Udina has some... exquisite tastes... with his ladies."

Shepard grimaced as strongly as she could. "Okay, that creeps me out."

"Yeah, and you don't even live here," Garrus replied. "Technically, what he's doing is not illegal. It would just be a very nasty scandal. I can't tell you exactly what because of my orders."

They arrived in front of the Council's dais. As the party stepped onto the platform, the Council didn't waste anytime.

"Ambassador T'Vran. Captain Anderson," Tevos began. "We understand that you have new evidence to present."

"Let's make this quick," Sparatus growled.

"Will Saren be joining us this time?" T'Vran asked.

"No," Valern replied. "We have not been able to reach him. Protocol insists that we continue without him."

"Go ahead and present your evidence," Tevos advised. "Sparatus is not known for being patient when someone insists he is wrong."

"I would like to present my executive officer, Commander Shepard, and the person who procured the evidence, Miss Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"What species is she?" Valern asked. "We have never encountered one such as this before."

"I am a Quarian," Tali explained. "My people are from what the Federation calls the Delta Quadrant."

"The Delta Quadrant?!" Sparatus exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock. "There aren't any Relays that far!"

"We didn't use the Relays to get to the Alpha Quadrant," Tali explained. "We wandered for about five hundred years. Then, on my pilgrimage, I came across this." Tali played the recording.

_"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."_

_"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_

Tevos' eyes grew wide. "That's Matriarch Benezia's voice!"

"And as much as I hate to admit it, that's unmistakably Saren," Sparatus sighed in defeat.

"What makes you so sure?" Valern inquired.

"Turians speak not just within the range of hearing of the other species, but also with sub-harmonics that only we can detect. There is no way the Federation could have manufactured this evidence. That. Is. Saren."

"Then we must revoke his status as Spectre and order his arrest," Tevos insisted.

"Saren is our top operative. None of our other Spectres come near to his combat rating!" Valern argued. "Who exactly are we going to send?"

"Commander Shepard has achieved the highest combat rating that Starfleet has," Anderson informed them.

This interested Sparatus. "She's achieved the Valor Stripe?"

"I am not familiar with the Federation's rating system," Tevos admitted.

Valern explained, "The stripe system used by the Federation is set on a background of white, representing their great white fleet a hundred years ago before they stopped painting their ships like that. The Green Stripe is the minimum required rating for all Starfleet personnel and has been since the Earth-Romulan War. The Gold Stripe is the minimum required for security and marine personnel. The Valor Stripe is reserved for special forces and is represented by a red stripe. I believe you have N7 training, Commander?"

Shepard nodded her agreement.

"N7 is the finest of Starfleet combat training facilities. They have trained the highest percentage of Valor Stripe personnel," Valern finished. "I believe she has the skills to take down Saren."

"But she's Starfleet," Tevos pointed out. "She can't do what she wants in Council space! We have to give her the authority to do so!"

"What are we going to do?" Sparatus asked. "Make her a Spectre?"

Tevos and Valern shared a look. Sparatus noticed it.

"Oh no! Not on my watch!" Sparatus argued.

"Do you want to stop Saren from disgracing the Turian people?" Garrus challenged, "Or are you going to go after him yourself?"

Sparatus glanced at Garrus before he set his eyes on Shepard's. To her credit, she glared right back at him without hesitation. After a moment of their staring contest, Sparatus sighed in defeat and tapped a command into his console. The other Councilors followed.

_A/N: So there we have it. Shepard not only the first Human Spectre but the first that wasn't a citizen of Citadel space._

_There have been questions about how the Citadel races have warp drive. This is one of the questions that I struggled with when writing this fusion-crossover._

_I looked up how Element Zero is made and how dilithium is made and discovered that both are created in a similar fashion. So I figured it is possible to suggest that dilithium is the result when Element Zero is created in the presence of a high concentration of lithium. I figured that Thessia didn't have sufficient lithium to absorb all the Element Zero that is on the Asari homeworld, so I postulated that the Asari developed sub-light engines that brought them to their system's Relay and were able to develop dilithium-based warp drive after finding the Citadel. I haven't been able to figure out how to put this in the story, so I'm getting it out now._

_As for Section 31- I am debating whether or not to include them in this series. Yes, I am planning to do all three games. So whether Section 31 (from DS9) will be included or not is still in the air._

_And does anyone else notice that the site has turned the last few paragraphs at the end of each chapter into all italics- the part that isn't author notes, that is. I've noticed it several times but I can't figure out why it is happening. I certainly didn't write it that way. Do you know if there is a glitch or anything?_


	7. Chapter 7- Paranoid Rhetoric

Mass Trek

Chapter 7: Paranoid Rhetoric

The first thing Garrus did when he got to his apartment after he escorted Shepard back to the Normandy was grab his duffle bag from his old military days and sped into his bedroom. He grabbed a bunch of clothes and what precious possessions he didn't want to go without. He grabbed the care package his sister Sol had sent and put it in the bag as well. He made sure his most precious possession with him, his sniper rifle. The disruptor weapon had been carefully honed into a most accurate weapon.

He did a once over to make sure he had everything before he booked it out the door and locked it behind him.

He wouldn't miss this chase for the galaxy.

~Mass Trek~

Shepard smoothed her dress uniform and looked over it yet again. The ceremony in which _Rear Admiral _Anderson would transfer command of the _Normandy _to her. She would retain the rank of Commander, and she rather liked it that way. 'Captain' Shepard just didn't sound right. Not yet, at least.

Her door chime sounded. She sighed softly and adjusted her collar again. "Come."

The doors opened to admit a familiar, tall, and blue-face-painted Turian. He saluted. "Officer Vakarian reporting for duty."

Shepard stared at him for a moment before she could think of a thing to say. "First of all, Vakarian, we don't salute anywhere on the ship except rooms that have access to the outside the ship or in ceremony."

Garrus awkwardly dropped the salute. "Aye ma'am."

"Second, why do you want to be on my crew?"

"And miss this chance?" Garrus asked. "No way."

Shepard smiled. "And what chance would that be, Vakarian? The opportunity of working on the _Normandy _or taking down Saren?"

"Working with you, Commander."

"Oh?" Shepard inquired. "Why would that be?"

"You're actually doing something about Saren. Everyone else is just sitting on their hands pretending nothing could possibly be wrong in the world." Garrus stepped closer to her. "You are getting done what needs to be done and I want in on it."

"So you feel boxed in working for C-Sec?" Shepard asked.

"Constantly," Garrus admitted. "There is so much red tape I feel like I'm caught in one of your spider webs. With my investigation on Saren, even when it was official, I was blocked at every turn. Now something is finally being done and I want to be a part of it."

Shepard mulled over this for a second. Then she nodded. "Very well. The Council wanted a 'representative' onboard anyway."

Garrus raised an brow. "Why would they want that?"

Shepard rolled her shoulders to work out a kink. "They informed me my Spectre status was provisional and they wanted me to take a member of one of the Council races aboard to ensure I remained mindful of Citadel interests."

Garrus frowned. "That just means they don't really trust you yet and they want you babysat."

"I figured as much. Coming to the Change of Command ceremony?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

~Mass Trek~

"I relieve you, sir."

"I stand relieved. Congratulations, Commander."

The room was filled with applause as Rear Admiral Anderson shook hands with Commander Shepard. There were multiple lights directed at them from many different floating cameras from dozens of Citadel and Federation news agencies. The reporters all clamored for questions.

"It would be highly irregular, sir," Shepard almost whispered to Anderson.

The Admiral pressed his lips into a thin line before he made his decision. "Nothing about this situation is highly regular. I think we better answer some questions." Anderson looked through the crowd of reporters until he saw one he liked and respected. "Yes, Miss Wong?" Anderson called out as he pointed in her direction.

"Emily Wong, Future Content Corporation news service, sir. Admiral Anderson, the Citadel Council has remained tight lipped on why they declared Saren to be a rogue Spectre. Naturally, speculation has been flying around, some of which suggesting that Saren was behind the attack on Eden Prime. Can you shed any light on this matter?"

"The reasons Saren has been declared rogue are not open for discussion at this time," Anderson answered boldly. "I have been informed that he has been the subject of investigation for a while now by C-Sec but I have no information on the results of said investigation."

"Another question," Wong called out. "Commander Shepard, what are your feelings on being named the first human Spectre?"

"Honored," Shepard replied with certainty. She had expected this question from the moment she was told reporters would be attending the ceremony. "The Council has placed not only their trust but the trust of all Council races in me. I intend to act accordingly to prove worthy of that trust."

"Another question, Commander," Wong interjected before the other reporters had a chance. "What is your response to Ambassador Udina's remarks of outrage at your appointment? He has called you a weaseling Starfleet agent bent of undermining all that the Citadel stands for. He has also suggested you are the equivalent of the biblical anti-Christ and would bring the Galaxy to ruin."

"Ambassador Udina is merely upset, though I think calling me the destroyer of worlds is a bit unfair."

Emily nodded and typed something in her data pad as she allowed other reporters an opportunity to ask questions. Shepard pointed at a Turian. "Yes?"

The Turian introduced himself. "Commander, Ambassador Udina had been pushing for Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Jarvis of the CS _Icarus _to be the first human Spectre. Jarvis is a heavily decorated hero in the IHC. What do you think the IHC citizens will respond to a Starfleet Spectre?"

"I hope their response will be positive," Shepard answered thoughtfully. "After all, having one human Spectre, whether Starfleet or IHC, will probably lead to another. Lieutenant Colonel Jarvis may yet become a Spectre."

An Asari was able to ask the next question. "Commander, you now have responsibilities to both the Citadel races and the Federation. How can the public be assured that you won't put Federation interests ahead of the interests of the citizens of our races?"

Shepard thought for a bit. "The Council had the same concern and asked that I choose a representative from the Council races to advise me on the people's interests." Shepard gestured at Garrus. "I have chosen Officer Garrus Vakarian from Citadel Security to fill that position."

Garrus was now under all the spotlights. He gave a friendly wave from where he leaned against the wall and announced, "I assure the people of Council space that I will keep their interests close to both mine and the Commander's hearts. Please," he added when some of the reporters raised their hands, "I will not be taking any questions at this time."

"Well then, if that is all-" Anderson began.

"One moment, Admiral!" A woman called out.

Anderson turned his attention to speaker. "Yes?"

The woman was in a military uniform, the insignia on her chest the abstract image of a star breaking free of a shackle- the symbol of the IHC. A silver bar adorned her collar. "First Lieutenant Alison Harper, Colonial Military Chronicle. Admiral, isn't this entire situation is just a Federation ploy to bring the Colonies under Federation rule?"

Anderson raised an eyebrow. "If anything, the Federation is only interested in strengthening relations with its brethren in the colonies. If your government would allow it we would ship medical supplies, food, and whatever else we could to assist we would gladly help you in anyway we can."

"No doubt you'd ship intelligence agents and saboteurs as well," Harper accused.

"The Federation isn't trying to spy on or harm the IHC," Anderson assured.

"The IHC isn't going to fall for the Federation's fake sincerity." Harper turned to the rest of the reporters. "If you place your trust in the Federation, they will lock their shackles onto you and bring you under their flag." With that, Harper made for the door.

Shepard intercepted her. "How about you stop spouting that brainwashed rhetoric and make up your own mind?" She stepped between the Lieutenant and the door. "What have you learned about the Federation that wasn't negative propaganda from the mouth of your government?" Shepard stepped closer. "How about the diseases we have cured? Or about the discoveries we've made?"

Harper sneered at her. "Achievements you broadcast to make the Federation look better to those still trapped under your rule."

"Since when have we tried to stop anyone from leaving?" Shepard asked. "Name _one _time."

For once, Harper didn't have a comeback. Instead she left the mess hall in a huff. Two of _Normandy_'s security personnel followed her to make sure she didn't go where she wasn't supposed to.

Shepard was surprised when the room burst into applause. She glanced around the room in a search for an answer.

Garrus pushed off the wall and stepped to her side. "Apparently, no one here is a fan of Lieutenant Harper," he explained. "She spouts Colonial rhetoric far too much."

~Mass Trek~

Lieutenant Colonel Jarvis looked over the Presidium from Udina's office as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back and listened to the Ambassador. It was certainly clear that Udina was not happy.

"That Federation bitch has muscled in where she doesn't belong!" the IHC representative ranted. "She has dashed all our hard work to pieces."

"We can strike back," Jarvis suggested.

"How?" Udina asked through an angry snarl.

"The _Icarus _has our most advanced cloaking device, sir," Jarvis reminded the Ambassador. "Following the _Normandy _would be a simple matter. Even simpler to catch her off guard and... remove the thorn in our side."

Udina eyed the _Icarus_' commanding officer as he mulled the idea over in his mind. "Are you certain it will work?"

"It worked against the Batarian battle group that attempted a raid on New Seattle."

Udina smiled in pleasure as he remembered the report on the incident. "If I recall, that successful defense lead to your name being pushed to the top of the list for a promotion to full Colonel." Udina suddenly frowned. "But the _Icarus _is a _Daedalus_-class starship retired from Federation service back in 2196. Is she a match for a _Defiant_-class warship?"

"She doesn't have to be," Jarvis assured him. "Shepard will never see us coming."

~Mass Trek~

Shepard decided to extend the crew's shore leave before the _Normandy _would depart to begin the chase. As standard protocol, all personnel were required to maintain groups of at least two while off the ship.

Ashley hadn't planned on another visit to the Citadel. She was a relatively new crew member and therefore wasn't very familiar with everyone aboard. She chose to use the time to go over some paperwork... until someone chimed her doorbell.

"Come," she answered.

The doors opened to reveal Kaidan dressed in civilian attire. He stepped in and raised an eyebrow. "Not going anywhere, Chief?"

Ashley gave him a sad smile. "I have come paperwork to catch up on, El-tee."

Kaidan sniffed the air. "I think I detect some bull."

"Sir-" Ashley began.

"Go ahead and call me Kaidan while we're off duty, Chief."

Ashley gave a little laugh. "Then you should call me Ashley."

"Well, Ashley, shouldn't you be getting changed?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Do you really think that I'm going to let you miss extended shore leave?" Kaidan asked. "Now are you going to change into civies or are do I have to throw rank around?"

Ashlay laughed. "Alright, Kaidan, but you are going to have to wait outside while I change."

Ten minutes later, Ashley and Kaidan disembarked the _Normandy onto the Citadel._


	8. Chapter 8- Old Legends

Mass Trek

Chapter 8: Old Legends

Shepard gave the list on the datapad a wary look. "I am not sure this is such a good idea."

"It is an incredible investment opportunity," the Asari representative assured her. "There are so many people who would love to have _the Adventures of Commander Shepard _as part of their video collection."

Shepard set down the datapad. "I'm not sure I can condone a few issues with the filming."

"If you are concerned with maintaining security of classified material, you have our word of complete confidentiality and first look at the recordings. You also will have the final say on what is allowed."

Shepard leaned on the table. "I cannot condone having a civilian in the line of fire. Saren will be _shooting _at me, miss?..."

"Vera, Commander. Our operators understand the risks of the assignment, Commander," Vera explained. "Some of our operators are former military and can handle themselves in a gunfight."

Shepard wondered how she was going to get through to this woman. "Operators whose lives I am not willing to put on the line for publicity. Miss Vera, I cannot, on good conscience, have your people in the line of fire when their first priority is getting good footage and not the safety of the team."

"Commander, I assure you-"

"No amount of assuring will get me to allow a civilian toting a camera around in a combat situation," Shepard declared. "Unless you have some other way of completing what you are suggesting, Miss Vera, then the answer is no."

"Then perhaps a drone remotely operated by an operator on the _Normandy_?" Vera explained. "After all, drones are used in most video recordings, as you may have noticed during your change of command ceremony. We could also use a VI to pilot the camera if you think the operator can't react fast enough."

Shepard considered this for a moment before she turned to her first officer. "What do you think Pressley?"

Lieutenant Commander Pressley glanced at his commanding officer when he was addressed. "I'm afraid it will severely interfere with the ship's operation, Ma'am. We have a limited number of bunks and I'm not about to start setting up bedding in the shuttle spaces."

"Besides, a drone would also give away our position in combat," Garrus added. "However, your Spectre funds would be excellently supplemented." Garrus waved his hands as if he was weighing the pros and cons in them. "It's a toss up, really."

Shepard grimaced and turned to the representative. "I will consider you request and inform you of my decision before the _Normandy _departs." She stood to bid Vera goodbye, as did Presley and Garrus.

Vera sighed quietly and rose as well. "Thank you, Commander. Mister Pressley. Officer Vakarian." She left the conference room where she was met and escorted by security.

Shepard took a deep breath and pushed on the small of her back. "Woo. She just wouldn't take 'no' for and answer."

Garrus chuckled. "And you completely missed the fact that she was coming on to you, Commander."

Shepard put up her forefinger. "Oh, I caught on alright. I just ignored it."

Garrus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And when did you catch on?"

"The instant she saw me she lit a fire in her eyes. It was really uncomfortable how much she was admiring my 'assets'."

"I'm half surprised she didn't offer her body to land this deal," Garrus admitted. "Miss Vera has a reputation of being a capable seductress. If she wants it, she usually gets it. And by 'it', I mean-"

Pressley held up his hands. "We got it, Vakarian." The XO straightened his uniform tunic and picked up his datapad. "Commander, an Urdnot Wrex is next."

"Wrex?" Garrus asked as his brows shot up. "The bounty hunter?"

"Know him?" Shepard inquired.

"He's caused trouble on the Citadel before. Colossal trouble. He's a Krogan, and a dangerous one at that. The guy's as deadly with his biotics as he is with his shotgun... and his disruptor rifle... and a thirty mega-ton bomb if he's _really _bored."

"What would he want with us?" Pressley asked.

"Let's find out." Shepard tapped a button on the table.

_"Yes, Commander?"_

"Send Urdnot Wrex in."

_"Right away, Commander."_

The three occupants of the room watched the doors waiting for the Krogan. The doors opened and in stepped a large... creature. Shepard hazarded a guess that this was one life-form that a Klingon might have trouble with.

"Urdnot Wrex," the being announced in a deep voice.

"Commander Shepard. This is my executive officer, Mister Pressley, and my Citadel representative Officer Vakarian. Would you take a seat?" All four sat at the conference table. The tension in the room was, to say the least, a bit tense. "Now, what can we do for you, Mister Wrex?"

"'Wrex' is just fine," the Krogan replied. "And I want in."

"Excuse me?"

"The hunt for Saren. Any idiot with half a brain can see that this is more than what the Federation and the Council are letting on." He leaned in. "There's something going down bigger than all of us. I can smell it." He grinned. "And I want to be part of this galaxy changing event."

Shepard gave Garrus a questioning glance.

"He's skilled, Shepard. You'll rather have him as an ally than as an enemy."

Shepard glanced at Pressley.

The XO held up his hands. "As long as he behaves, I'm okay with it. Besides, it'll be nice having a bit of muscle around if some idiot gets any ideas."

Shepard turned back to Wrex. "Alright, Wrex, we'll bring you aboard. Remember, I call the shots."

"You're the boss, Shepard," Wrex agreed.

~Mass Trek~

Kaidan and Ashley returned to the ship in high spirits.

"Did you see such a huge farce of _Romeo and Juliet_?" Ashley asked. "I don't think the cast understood half of what they were saying... or what they were trying to say."

"I have to admit, the Asari actresses were really trying hard to act their parts accurately. Though I don't remember the play having strippers in it before," Kaidan added with a puzzled smirk.

"They had to jazz it up somehow," Ashley pointed out. "Admit it, you enjoyed seeing scantily clad ladies on the stage."

"What heterosexual man wouldn't?" Kaidan asked. "Though I had my attention on a much lovelier lady seated next to me."

Ashley almost blushed as she whacked him on the shoulder. "Easy tiger." She laughed as he tenderly rubbed the offended shoulder.

They arrived at her cabin. "Well, I had a wonderful time tonight, Kaidan."

"We should do it again," Kaidan suggested.

"Play your cards right and we will," Ashley replied. She checked to see that the corridor was empty before she pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Later, _tiger_." With that, the doors too her cabin shut between them.

Kaidan smirked. "Oh, yeah. She likes me."

~Mass Trek~

"Come," Shepard called in response to the chime of her ready room's doors.

Garrus stepped inside and waited until the doors closed behind him. "You asked to see me, Commander?"

"Have a seat Garrus," Shepard suggested as she gestured at one of the seats across from her while her concentration focused on the holo-image above her desk.

Garrus did as he was bidden and glanced at the image. "Interested in the CS _Icarus_?"

"She a member of a decommissioned class of Federation starships," Shepard explained. "The _Daedalus_-class was the first Starfleet ship to utilize the primary and secondary hull configuration that became the basic image of Federation starships." She gestured at various points on the ship that were marked in flashing colors. "She's also been heavily refit. Batarian impulse engines. Turian disruptors. Even an Asari warp core. Apparently, our tech used to be compatible with yours."

Garrus scratched a mandible. "Commander, what is the significance of the names 'Daedalus' and 'Icarus'? I've never been able to figure it out."

Shepard smiled. "Mythology of Ancient Greece, a human civilization a few thousand years ago. Daedalus was the designer and builder of the Labyrinth, a giant maze on the island of Crete that contained the Minotaur- a monster that apparently was half human and half ox... I think. Well, Daedalus betrayed the secret of how to navigate the Labyrinth to a great hero, who then promptly slew the beast. The king of Crete punished Daedalus by placing him and the designer's son, Icarus, in a high tower with no way to escape."

"But did he?" Garrus asked, intrigued.

"By building wings with feathers glued to the frame with candle wax. Daedalus and Icarus flew out of the tower, but Icarus ignored his father's warning not to fly too high and the sun melted the wax in Icarus' wings and the boy plummeted to his death in the sea."

"Kind of reminds me of Turian folklore," Garrus replied. "Except they probably would have been pursued by the navy and shot at."

Shepard smiled. "Probably. Greek myths often were full of tragedy."

"So why name the ship _Icarus_?" Garrus asked. "Especially is the boy's life ended tragically."

"Because the _Icarus _is a _Daedalus_-class," Shepard explained. "Either someone had a strange sense of irony or it was their way of reuniting father and son."

Garrus nodded and returned his gaze to the ship. "What about this little spot here?" He asked, pointing to the area in question.

"We're not sure," Shepard admitted. "It's a device of some kind, but we can't put a finger on what it is. It has Adams pulling his hair out because of it."

"His what?" Garrus asked.

"Hair," Shepard repeated. She raised an eyebrow at Garrus' puzzled look. She ran a hand through her hair. "This stuff."

"Oh, spirits!" Garrus called out. "I thought your fringe was mad of fur!"

"Its... related," Shepard told him. "Don't you know anything of human anatomy?"

"Levo-amino. Warm blooded, the color of which is red. Soft skin. Fur- I mean, hair... everywhere," Garrus paused in his list. "Not much about how you mate or anything."

Shepard held up her hands. "I am not giving you 'the talk'."

Garrus laughed. "That's okay. I don't think I'll be having sex with any humans any time soon."

Shepard smirked. "You might want to pop by the infirmary if you don't want to be embarrassed by you lack of knowledge. She quite enjoys teaching."

"I'll think about it," Garrus replied. "So did you ask me up her to ask about the _Icarus_?"

"Wondering if you knew anything about it. It's Lieutenant Colonel Jarvis' ship after all. I wonder if he's a little upset that I've snatched the illustrious title of First Human Spectre from his grasp."

"If he's upset he won't show it easily. He might be a bit impulsive, but he's brilliant. Somehow defeated and entire Batarian raiding party with only the _Icarus_."

"Any idea how he did it?" Shepard asked.

"He's not telling. Neither are any members of the Batarian raiding party."

"All dead?"

"Those ships were destroyed with all hands in a matter of minutes," Garrus confirmed. "That's what the Colonial military insists. The _Icarus _was barely scratched. Though you wouldn't know it looking at her now," he added, pointing out all the patches the ship had. "There isn't much white paint left."

"Any thing else you know?"

"Cruising speed of Warp 6, capable of reaching 7 if she's in a hurry," Garrus recalled. "She's tied the disruptor banks to her warp core, giving her greater weapon output. She's loaded with plenty of photon torpedoes and a few probes." He leaned on her desk. "That's about it, Shepard."

Shepard nodded her thanks. "Thank you, Garrus." She turned back to the hologram. What was that mysterious device in the heart of the _Icarus_?

Suddenly, Pressley's voice broke out over the comm. _"Commander. The Council has sent some new intel you might want to see."_

"Divert it to my ready room," Shepard ordered. "You might want to stay for this, Garrus."

_"Aye Commander."_

Shepard shut off the hologram and tapped her desk terminal. An attractive, blue-skinned Asari appeared on the screen.

_Liara T'Soni_

_Last seen in the Artemis Tau cluster (exact location unknown)_

_Daughter of Matriarch Benezia_

_Doctor of Archeology_

_Specializes in Prothean ruins and artifacts_

Shepard looked up at Garrus. "Where is the Artemis Tau cluster?"

Garrus mulled over it for a moment. "It's on the edge of the IHC. In fact, two of the four systems in the cluster are in IHC territory, Macedon and Athens. Because of the rumors of Prothean ruins in the cluster, Colonial battle groups are heavily patrolling those systems."

"So we stay away from those two systems," Shepard decided. "We'll limit our search to the Sparta and Knossos systems."

Garrus looked over the screen again. "What if she isn't in either of those systems?"

"We'll improvise. Pressley," Shepard called out. "Make preparations to get underway. I want to leave within the hour."

_"Aye Ma'am."_

_Shepard shut off the console. "Let's see if we can find the Matriarch's daughter."_

_~Mass Trek~_

_Liara had spent a few weeks in the ruins on Therum and had learned a lot about the Protheans. Including the fact that they had been preceded by another civilization. The prospect both excited and perplexed her._

_In her shelter she looked over the day's progress of her scanning of the ruins. There was some sort of containment technology in the alcoves that surrounded the central lift. She now was looking over the scan of the control console to figure out how to work it._

_As Therum was volcanically active, even the relatively cool mine the ruins had been found in was uncomfortably hot. Liara had to remove her blouse and sit around in her sports bra to try to beat the heat, and even then her bra was uncomfortable. She kept it and her trousers on though. The some of the remaining miners and guards had a tendency to 'forget' to announce themselves, one almost getting a peak at her in the shower. She had taken to doubly securing her shelter door whenever she was expecting to be naked or asleep._

_The security Sergeant of the sight insisted that she learn to use a disruptor pistol and SMG- basically a Klingon disruptor rifle that had been modified to fire in short, fast bursts instead of a single beam or burst, increasing the damage that could be sent down range. The Sergeant bragged that it could stop a berserk Krogan in his tracks. When Liara asked why using the vaporize setting couldn't be used, the Sergeant explained that the vaporize setting took up too much power to be used practically in a combat scenario, and the SMG took up a quarter of that power in a thirty second burst._

_There was a knock at her door. "Enter," Liara called out._

_The Sergeant pushed open the shelter door. "Doctor, the First Human Spectre has been selected."_

_Liara glanced up from her research with a look that politely said that she was not interested._

_The Sergeant grinned. "She's a Federation Commander."_

_Liaraa's eyebrow shot up. "Federation? Last I checked, they were a separate government from the Citadel."_

_"Apparently Saren Arterius has been deposed as Spectre and the Federation Commander was selected because she had the combat training to take him down."_

_Liara sighed. "What is the galaxy coming to?"_

_"I don't know, Doctor," the Sergeant replied. "It might just be turning out for the better."_

_Liara stared at the Sergeant. "I thought the Colonial military's anti-Federation rhetoric was ingrained in all its soldiers."_

_"Ah, but I'm not Colonial military anymore, am I?" the Sergeant asked. "I can think for myself now."_


	9. Chapter 9- Landing on Feros

Mass Trek

Chapter 9: Landing on Feros

Udina quickly greeted Jarvis as the Lieutenant Colonel entered the Ambassador's office. "I have just received word that the Council has forwarded the information on Matriarch Benezia's daughter to Shepard. They were not able to pin her exact location."

"Therum, in the Knossos system." At Udina's surprised glance, Jarvis explained. "We were interested in the mining claim a private company had on the planet when they declared they had found Prothean ruins. Our recon ships kept track of all ships entering and leaving the system." He smirked at the Ambassador. "And we've managed to keep the exact location a secret from the council."

"Why?" Udina asked.

"Our military wants the technological advances that come with the dig site," Jarvis admitted with an evil grin. "If we can get enough of an edge even the Federation won't be able to stand against us."

Udina smiled back at the _Icarus_' CO. "Then make sure we are the only ones who benefit from the dig site."

~Mass Trek~

The _Normandy _was well on its way to the Artemis Tau cluster when Shepard was awoken by a hail from the bridge.

"What is it, Joker?"

_"We're receiving a distress call, Ma'am. The IHC colony of Feros has sent a desperate distress signal through the Relay system."_

"I didn't know you could do that," Shepard admitted as she quietly checked the time, the results of which made her frown. There wasn't much time before she would have to wake up anyway. "Are there any IHC vessels in the area?" she asked as she dragged herself out of bed.

_"Unknown, Commander," _Joker replied over the comm. _"Ambassador Udina has also received the call and insists that we are the closest ship and demands we help."_

Shepard started to undress for her morning shower. "Is it even possible to set course for Feros while in the Relay system?"

_"Yes, Ma'am. All I have to do is change course."_

"Then do so. Shepard out," she finished just as she reached her personal bathroom.

Garrus met her on her way to the bridge. "Did we change course?"

"The colony of Feros has sent out a distress call."

Garrus frowned. "That's an IHC colony."

"And we're the only ship in range," Shepard informed him. "Udina has insisted that we assist." She suddenly stopped as she was struck by a thought. "This is highly irregular."

"That the IHC Ambassador insist that we assist?" Garrus asked. "There's something going on here."

"Yeah. Why is he not insisting we stay _out _of it?" Shepard asked. She tapped her badge. "Bridge?"

_"Brige here, Commander," _Joker answered.

"What is our ETA to Feros?"

_"We leave the Relay system in five," _Joker reported. _"I have Williams watching the sensors."_

Shepard smiled. Of course Joker, of all people, would smell a potential trap when his ship, his baby, was involved. "Good man. I'm on my way to the bridge. Shepard out." She gestured for Garrus to follow and jogged the rest of the way to the Bridge.

Shepard entered the bridge and heard Ashley call out, "Captain on the bridge!"

Joker almost gleefully jumped out of the Captain's chair. "We're three minutes out. Good hustle, Commander. You're relieved," he told the helmsman. Within seconds, Joker was where he felt he belonged.

Shepard sat in her chair. "Yellow alert, Chief. Arm phasers."

"Aye, Skipper," she replied as she complied with the order. The _Normandy_'s alert condition lights went yellow. "Phasers armed."

Garrus stood next to Shepard as they watched the viewscreen.

"Approaching the end of the conduit," Joker replied.

"Get ready to raise the shields, Chief," Shepard ordered.

"Ready, Skipper."

"Three... two... one... Now!" Joker called out. They left the network and returned to normal space, but the view was not they expected.

A heavily damaged Daedalus-class ship floated before them, her starboard nacelle separated from the rest of her, the other one leaked gasses into the vacuum of space. Ashley quickly confirmed it was the only vessel in sensor range.

"She's been murdered, Skipper," Ashley reported. "I'm reading the same kind of plasma weaponry the Geth used on Eden Prime."

"Any survivors?" Shepard asked.

"She's missing both her shuttle and escape pods," Ashley reported. "I'm not reading any of them yet."

"One life sign aboard," Joker replied. "In the same compartment as where we saw the strange device on the _Icarus_."

"Can you identify the ship?" Shepard asked.

"Identification number C-126, CS _Crete_," Joker replied.

"The _Crete_?" Garrus breathed. "That's the _Icarus_' sister ship... if you can call her that. The _Icarus _was put into service right along with her."

"She's almost a carbon copy of the _Icarus_," Ashley reported. "They must have been sister ships when they served the Federation."

Shepard thought for a moment. "If the Geth are attacking Feros we have to assist, but we can't waste this opportunity to not only save that life but to get a look at Colonial tech. We'll leave behind an away team and a shuttle pod to perform the rescue."

~Mass Trek~

As the _Normandy _pulled away on impulse power Kaidan was leading his team of two crewman towards the _Crete_. Kaidan carefully piloted the shuttle pod into the old ship's bay.

Crewman first-class Truman did a quick scan. "She has life support, sir, but barely."

Petty Officer second-class Peters readied his phaser rifle. "Can you find a viable way to bring the survivor back here?"

Truman shrugged. "I can't get a proper reading. The radiation from the bleeding nacelle is interfering with my tricorder. I can only read about ten meters around us."

"We'll bring an extra suit to stuff them in," Kaidan replied as he set the pod. "There's no way to pressurize the bay, seeing as the ship's without power." He grabbed his own rifle. "Let's go."

They all put on their helmets and pressurized their suits before depressurizing the pod. Peters was off first and noticed something right off the bat. "Lieutenant!"

~Mass Trek~

"Entering geosynchronous orbit, Commander," Joker announced.

"Chief, any response to our hails?" Shepard asked.

"Nagative, Skipper," Ashley replied. "And I'm only detecting one Geth cruiser. It's currently attached to a large building a few kilometers from the colony. One of the many buildings of what seems to be an ancient crumbling metropolis."

"Can we hit it with the phasers?" Shepard asked.

"Not with the interference in the ionosphere above it," Ashley replied. "And I don't think the colonists would appreciate a quantum torpedo detonating on their planet."

"Can you find the source of the interference?" Shepard asked.

Ashley grimaced at the console. "Give me a sec, Skipper." She tapped a few commands. "Okay," she announced. "The Geth cruiser is the source. It seems to be some sort of defense against orbital bombardment."

Shepard's frown deepened. "Options, people."

"What about the Mako rover?" Joker mentioned. "It's equipped with a phaser turret and an isomagnetic disintegrator cannon."

Shepard's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I trained on those during my time at N7." She eyed the room. "Garrus, Chief. Suit up. Garrus, grab Wrex."

"We're going to be a bit crowded in the Mako, Skipper," Ashley pointed out.

Shepard shrugged. "I'll have my hands full driving and I need someone who's already familiar with the heavy weapons on the rover. From what I read on your file, you've hit a rock the size of my fist from a mile away with that disintegrator."

"From a stable platform, not the top of a rover," Ashley pointed out.

"I don't need you to be a sniper with it if we meet the Geth," Shepard explained. She then pointed to Garrus. "That's his job."

"And Wrex we be our short to mid range fighter with a touch of biotics?" Garrus asked.

"Muscle," Shepard declared.

~Mass Trek~

Mako's re-entry thrusters burned hot to decelerate the rover to a safe velocity, and Shepard fought hard against the eddies and the turbulence while they traveled through the atmosphere.

Garrus sat in the seat next to the Commander. Due to his position in the vehicle, he was at a good vantage point at which to watch her battle to get them down to the surface safely. He admired how her small, almost delicate fingers flew across the control panel to type in a new sequence to build a single command. Her hands, bare so the gloves she would don once they were safely on the ground so they would not impede her work on the panel, intrigued him for some unknown and, perhaps, inexplicable reason. He was jarred out of his gazing when they landed and shock absorbers took most of the shock.

Shepard restored her gloves to her hands and seized the second set of controls. These were separate from the console because, even in the 24th century, steering a ground vehicle was best done via a steering wheel or joystick, the control for the Mako being a descendant of the latter. "Garrus, point me in the direction of the colony."

Garrus tapped a few commands into the small console in front of him. "The colony is south by southwest at a distance of three klicks."

Shepard nodded her understanding. She then looked up and over her shoulder. "Williams, keep an eye out for Geth forces. See any, blast 'em."

"Aye, Skipper," Ashley replied from the weapons station. "But if that cruiser comes snooping around..."

"Then we don't let them see us," Shepard declared as she gunned the engine to get the rover into motion. "Or let _Normandy _blast 'em from orbit. I don't think they can cause that interference in the ionosphere if they're flying."

Shepard drove the Mako at fast speeds over hills and around large debris piles. She plowed through large spaces and jumped gaps, utilizing the Mako to its fullest.

~Mass Trek~

Aboard the _Icarus_, Jarvis looked over the shoulder of his communications officer. "Any word from the C-298?"

"Nothing at all, sir," the young Lieutenant answered him. She punched in more commands. "She's not responding on any frequency."

Jarvis snarled. "Why isn't she responding?"

"Sir!" the science officer called out. "I've found her!"

Jarvis almost sprinted to the science station. "Where?"

"Twenty-thousand kilometers off our port bow." The science officer performed a stronger scan. "She's adrift, sir."

"Adrift?" Jarvis asked.

"Dead in the water," the officer confirmed. "She's been torn apart. I'm reading a debris field around her over a kilometer in diameter."

"She's one of our most advanced cruisers!" Jarvis growled. "The _Crete_-class is the first class of cruisers we've developed on our own!"

The communications officer blinked in surprise. "_Crete_-class?"

Jarvis' XO, Major Donner, leaned close. "Picture the _Daedalus-class, but the secondary hull attaching higher up on the sphere and four warp nacelles of our latest design."_

_"The ones that look like swords bolted to ram-scoops?" she asked. At Donner's nod, she posed another question. "Why doesn't the Colonel refer to the cruiser by her name?"_

_Donner grimaced. "Command has forbidden naming new ships and referring to them by their registration number only. It's supposed to be a new way to differentiate us from the Federation."_

_"So if they decided to do the same to us, we'd be known as the C-127?" she asked. "That's ridiculous!"_

_"Believe me, the Colonel and I are of the same opinion." He returned to his CO's side._

_The science officer squinted at his readings. "It appears she was attacked by some sort of plasma weapon... not too dissimilar to the Romulan plasma torpedo in service a hundred years ago."_

_"But the Romulans stopped using that type of plasma weaponry long-" Jarvis stopped mid-sentence. His eyes grew wide. "Tatical! Cloak! Now!"_

_The Sergeant at tactical responded immediately. "Cloaking device engaged sir," the enlisted man reported as the lights dimmed._

_Major Donner eyed his boss as Jarvis retook the command seat. "Sir?"_

_"Shepard's report stated that the Geth used plasma weaponry. She lost a teammate to their small arms fire. Helm, pull us back to the edge of the system. Sciences, get probes ready to launch. I want concrete solid proof that the Geth are in the system before we inform HQ."_


	10. Chapter 10- The Skyway

_A/N: Just a quick note about the IHC vessels. When ever I think about them, I like comparing them to the WWII U-boats, so that's one of the reasons that I'm having the IHC ships start to forgo names and just go by their registration numbers. Their limited cloaking ability, which the chapter will touch on, is also a reflection of that. The Citadel races have not come up against cloaking before and, therefore, have no way to detect even the earliest models, like the kind the IHC are coming up with. Someone also pointed out that there is no way a 200 year old ship will still be functional, but I'll touch on that later- if not in this chapter then very shortly afterwards. (after all, why do you think I have Kaidan leading an away mission onto the _Crete_? *wink*)_

_By the way, remember that I have changed Citadel tech to better fit in the Star Trek Universe. The Citadel species use disruptors and photon torpedoes too._

_By the way, go check out _*Jetfreak74656 _on deviantART. DABDA put me on to him and _*Jetfreak74656 _has an amazing collection of starships._

Mass Trek

Chapter 10: The Skyway

Shepard closely eyed the armed guards at the entrance to the colony from around the corner. "They're a bit jumpy, aren't they?"

"What was you first clue, Shepard?" Wrex asked. "The barricade or the fact that one of them took a potshot at us?"

"Hold your fire!" Shepard shouted. "I am Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_! We are responding to your distress signal!"

"You heard her. Hold your fire!"

Shepard waited a few moments then stepped around the corner. "We clear?"

A man handed his disruptor to one of the guards and stepped in front of the barrier. "Commander Shepard, I am Fai Dan. I'm the leader of this colony." He glanced at the Starfleet arrowhead on her chest. "What is the Federation doing here?"

"My crew and I are part of a joint Citadel and Federation task force on a mission to bring down a rogue Spectre," the Commander explained. "This is Officer Vakarian of Citadel Security and Urdnot Wrex."

Fai Dan nodded and gestured the trio to follow him. After they passed the barricade and into the colony, Fai Dan began to explain the situation. "We've only been here for a short time, Commander. "Exo Geni made a lot of promises to get us here, including to protect us. The mercenaries they hired were taken down in the first wave of attacks. That cruiser shot at them from above and the foot soldiers finished them off." He pointed at the small, damaged vessel in the middle of the colony. "We've put the sole survivor in the cargo ship."

"Mind if we look him over?" Shepard asked.

"He'll be okay. We've already treated his burns and sedated him. Doc Eve has done a bang up job." Fai Dan lead them around the ship.

"Have you received any outside communications?" Shepard asked.

"No, not since the attack began. We lost contact with the ship patrolling the system, the _Crete_."

"She's been destroyed," Garrus told him. "We found her carcass out by the Relay."

Fai Dan shook his head. "Damn it all. There was a lot of good people on that ship."

"Do you have any idea what the geth want?" Shepard asked.

"So that's what they're called? 'Geth'? No," Fai Dan answered. "They haven't communicated any demands. All they've done is shoot at us."

Suddenly, someone gave a shout from above. "Another dropship coming in!"

Fai Dan flipped open an old communicator. "Fai Dan to all teams, find cover." He closed the channel and gestured the away team to join him. He jogged to a door at the edge of the colony. "The 'geth' have been dropping in on top of the tower. We also think there might be a transmitter in the tunnels."

Shepard nodded and hoisted her compression rifle. "We'll take care of them. Wrex, take point. Garrus, bring up the rear." Wrex nodded as he yanked his shotgun up to the ready. Garrus made a final check on his sniper rifle before he moved in behind Shepard.

Geth had already begun to move in on the barricade in the tower and the defenders had their hands full, firing at the mechanical beings with disruptors or 23rd century era type-II phasers. When Shepard's team arrived and pushed back the geth, the colonists gave a hearty cheer. Shepard directed her men to follow the retreating hostiles.

The fight at the top of the tower turned out to be a nasty one. The dropship was unloading geth by the tens and the team was hard pressed to keep up.

Garrus gave a frustrated growl as he ducked behind cover again. "We have to take down that dropship!"

"Got any bright ideas, Turian?" Wrex asked.

"I do," Shepard cut in as she tapped her comm badge. "Chief Williams! This is Shepard."

_"Commander, Williams here. Go ahead."_

"Chief, there's a geth drop ship at the top of a tower. See it?"

_"I've had my sights on it in case it tried something. Want it taken down?"_

"If you would be so kind."

_"Going loud."_

For a split second, nothing happened. Then the dropship was hit by the disintegrator's discharge once, twice, and three times before an explosion from the inside ripped it apart.

Shepard ran a quick scan on the dropship as it came hurtling down on the geth below it. "That last shot hit the fuel tank. Apparently, their dropships use Hydrogen-3 in their fuel."

Wrex's scars waved as he gave them a sour look. "Why would a non-Citadel race use the same kind of fuel as the Citadel races?"

"Gross availability," Garrus answered him as he blew the head off the last remaining geth. "Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Galaxy."

Shepard put away her tricorder. "Chief, I'm going to keep this channel open. We may need a bit more fire support."

_"Understood, Commander. Bear in mind that I can't arch these weapons over the buildings, only fire on what's in my line of sight."_

"Roger that, Chief. Let's move boys."

~Mass Trek~

_"Can you get close the Therum?" _The general asked over the line.

"With the cloak, yes," Jarvis answered. "But the _Icarus _will have to decloak to begin any sort of action, combative or otherwise. The best we can do is locate Dr. T'Soni and wait until the Geth drop their guard."

_"Can't you use your transporters while cloaked?" _The general asked.

"Too much drain on our power," Jarvis replied. "We can manage impulse on the cloak, but if we go too fast we could overload it." He eyed the general on the monitor. "Perhaps if Command had given us a newer cloaking device or a more powerful reactor at our last refit-"

_"You know full well that the _Daedalus_-class is being phased out of service," _Udina interrupted. _"It was decided during your last refit."_

Jarvis gritted his teeth. "They're good ships, Ambassador."

_"They're __old__ Federation ships," _The general reminded him.

"Yet we're keeping Klingon wrecks and long abandoned Romulan ships, some of those are far older than the _Icarus_!" Jarvis argued.

_"The Colonies need to rid themselves of any apparent relation to the Federation. That includes retiring all salvaged Federation vessels."_

Jarvis took a deep breath. "I just hope we are not shooting ourselves in the foot, General."

~Mass Trek~

"Exo Geni set up in a building a few klicks up the Prothean skyway," Fai Dan explained as he pointed out the location on the map. "Our guards in the garage up there say they can see geth in the distance. They've also mentioned that our mutual enemy has deployed artillery in the form some kind of walking tank."

"The Geth haven't attacked the garage?" Garrus asked.

"Not yet," Fai Dan replied. "But I don't think the geth are going to send out more dropships with that rover of yours in the area, so I suspect the next attack on the colony should be coming from that direction."

"Is there a way to get the Mako up there?" Shepard asked.

"There's a freight elevator half a klick down the highway," Fai Dan suggested. "But the geth would be able to tell that you were coming up it."

Garrus clicked his mandibles in thought. "What if we tried using the thrusters on the Mako? They're powerful enough to get us into orbit, right?"

Shepard blinked. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

"You would have, but a dastardly handsome turian beat you to it."

"_Vakarian, you do know that 'dastard' means 'nasty, mean, treacherous, or cowardly', right?" _Ashley asked over the communicator.

The landing party glanced at each other for a second before Shepard started to laugh.

"I do _now_," Garrus muttered. 'Damn English."

Shepard managed to still her laughter. "I get what you meant, Garrus. Damn. That was hilarious how that backfired on you, ugly."

"What do you mean, 'ugly'?" Garrus demanded.

"You have to ask, turian?" Wrex interjected. "I think it fits you perfectly."

Garrus just shook his head.

"Anyway, seriously now, that wasn't a bad idea, Garrus," Shepard declared. "It should be a cinch."

"Should be?" Garrus asked.

"I don't think the Mako has ever made a several kilo jump onto a skyway," Shepard admitted.

~Mass Trek~

On Therum, the geth were advancing, but the mine's defenders were making them pay for each inch of ground. The anti-air guns were strong enough to punch through a geth cruiser- a lesson learned during the only attempt to bombard the defenders from the air (as the plasma weapons would only be disapated by the atmosphere), so the synthetics were forced to fight their way on the ground.

The Warlord looked over the battle and itched to get out there to participate in the fight himself. However, the krogan stayed himself. Saren had only sent one organic to secure Doctor T'Soni. Only one organic to lead the geth. So the Warlord waited and directed the cannon fodder.

He had three cruisers at his disposal when he began this mission, and the loss of one irked him to no end. However, he was confident that Saren would forgive him one cruiser once he brought the asari wench to him.

A colossus exploded under heavy disruptor fire, which made the krogan grind his teeth. Damned humans. No wonder Saren wanted them gone.

~Mass Trek~

"That was fun," Wrex laughed. "Let's do it again."

"Maybe we will," Shepard replied. "As soon as we can get the Mako untangled from the geth tank."

Garrus looked at what was left of the geth armature under and tangled around the wheels of the Mako. "What are the odds..."

"That we'd land right on top of the geth tank?" Ashley asked as she used her type-II phaser to cut away at one of the legs. 'I'm pretty sure the Commander didn't do it on purpose."

"Less talk, more cutting," Shepard ordered over the sound of her own type-II. "The sooner we get the Mako unstuck the quicker we won't be sitting ducks in the middle of a damn highway."

Garrus secretly eyed Shepard's rear end as she stood on a wheel to get at another angle to cut. For some reason he couldn't put a finger on, he found it attractive. _"Maybe I have a fetish I didn't know about before?" _he wondered. He shook his head and returned to his work. _"No, that can't be it, otherwise I would have checked out other human females."_

Roughly ten minutes later, the Mako was once again free and barreled down the skyway towards the Exo Geni building. Shepard kept a keen eye on the road, as did Ashley as evidenced by the amount of fire she laid down range and the geth debris Shepard passed. As they approached the Exo Geni building, they encountered more and more geth that were desperate to stop the rover's advance.

Garrus spotted something odd. "Shepard, the cruiser is arming its weapons."

"What?" Shepard almost shouted. "Do they have a line of sight on us yet?"

"They're firing!" Garrus warned.

Shepard pushed the rover's engine to go faster. There wasn't a lot of room on the skyway to avoid ship-mounted weapon systems, therefore she needed all the speed she would coax out of the Mako. The skyway behind them erupted into flame and debris. "Hold on!"

Garrus worked furiously over the sensors. "They're getting ready to do it again!"

Shepard noticed that the skyway entered a building that looked like it could still take a beating, but the gate was closed. "Garrus, can you hack that door?"

Garrus started to type and really fast. "On it, but I can give no guarantee because-"

"Citadel and Federation tech aren't exactly compatible," Shepard finished. "But we're dealing with Prothean tech rewired to work with IHC tech and-"

"Got it!" Garrus called out as the gate opened. "Good call, Shepard. IHC tech is somewhat compatible to Citadel tech."

Shepard brought the Mako to a grinding halt. "Everyone okay?"

"Fine here, though I could use a bigger seat," Wrex replied.

"Fine up here, Skipper," Ashley called from the gunner's seat.

Garrus waved off Shepard's wondering glance.

Shepard looked out of the Mako's viewport. "Options, people."

"If we continued on foot we'd be sitting ducks," Ashley pointed out.

"And that doesn't bode well with me, either," Wrex agreed.

"Garrus?" Shepard asked.

Garrus traced his colony marks for a few seconds, deep in thought. Then he looked at Shepard. "Militaries from all over the galaxy have utilized camouflage. Is there a way to camouflage ourselves against the geth cruiser?"

Shepard thought for a moment. "If we adjust the shield harmonics, we might be able to fool the geth sensors. I can't say for how long, but I can't say how long it will last."

"What are we waiting for?" Wrex asked. "Let's get to that tower and knock down that cruiser."

_A/N: Another chapter done. I didn't realize how much writing would go into the Feros arch and I am kinda regretting even adding it to the story, but what is done is done. I might as well finish the damn thing. I'm actually kind of anxious to advance the story to the Therum mission, but I've always played the Feros mission first._

_I wanted Liara to have a bit more maturity to her in the story. The galaxy is a harsh place and she knows it, though she still is a bit naive about some things._

_Looking at what I have planned for the next two games, which will be posted as separate stories, I have a lot on my plate, not counting all the stuff I have to do in my life. I'm told I will be expecting twelve hour days at work soon, then add commute and overtime... ugh. Anyone got a spare time machine?_


	11. Chapter 11- ExoGeni

Mass Trek

Chapter 11: ExoGeni

Peters held up the item he had found. "It's a geth rifle." He pointed to something that stuck out from behind some crates. "And I'm pretty sure that is a geth foot."

"You mean they boarded?" Truman asked.

"That's exactly what happened," Kaidan replied before he pointed out several more signs of a firefight. "The colonists certainly put up quite the fight. Any chance we can scan for geth?"

Peters gave the Lieutenant a sour grimace. "Not likely sir. Not individual ones, anyway."

Kaidan nodded. "Let's get to that survivor then. Crewman, you know how to pilot a shuttle pod?"

"Yes sir," Truman replied.

"Then take it out of here and await further orders. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself in case the geth come back."

"Aye sir."

Kaidan turned to Peters. "Let's go, Petty Officer."

Kaidan and Peters quickly advanced toward the forward bulkhead of the hanger. Truman waited until they had reached the door before engaging the engines and backing the shuttle pod out of the hanger.

Kaidan allowed Peters to take point so the Lieutenant could use the tricorder to find the safest route. Kaidan blinked at the things he was seeing. "Peters, there is 23rd Federation century tech inlaid with all the Citadel tech."

"I'm actually not surprised, LT," Peters replied. "The Federation is not exactly keeping its 23rd tech under wraps- its no longer classified and the Citadel can't gain a tactical advantage over us with it. We've come a long way since then."

"While the Citadel species are struggling to keep up," Kaidan observed. He pressed a command into the tricorder. "Okay, we'll need to go right at the next junction."

"Keeping to the pressurized sections, El-tee?" Peters asked.

"I'm not willing to bet that our survivor is not going to be able to get dressed in our spare suit for a space walk," Kaidan explained. "Might as well find a stable route now, rather than wait until later."

Peters grinned. "That's solid thinking sir."

Kaidan paused at the next junction and scanned the options. "The passageway to our left is sealed with emergency bulkheads."

"I'm surprised they still work on a boat this old."

"We'll have to cross the ship all the way to the starboard side."

"That doesn't seem so bad, sir."

"But we'll have to descend a deck to do so. Then we have to find a way up several decks to get to him."

"With no help from the turbolifts. This'll take some time if he can't move under his own power."

~Mass Trek~

Inside the Exo Geni building Shepard pulled the Mako to a stop and powered down the main engine. "Good call, Garrus. It bought us enough time to get here."

"Happy to help," Garrus replied. "I'm glad Federation tech was capable of pulling it off. I know Citadel tech is nowhere near that level."

Wrex opened the hatch and sniffed the air. "There's another krogan in the building. I can smell him."

"We'll keep an eye out for him, then," Shepard replied as she grabbed her rifle. "Chief, you know what to do."

"Roger that, Commander," Ashley replied. "I'll still be here when you get back."

Shepard opened the hatch. "Let's move, people," she ordered as she dropped to the ground. Wrex landed on the ground behind her as she moved forward.

When Garrus landed, the Commander had already done a tricorder sweep. "Anything, Shepard?"

"There's a door to the rest of the building, but it's locked with Citadel tech. Garrus?"

Garrus activated his omni-tool and took a look over the lock. "No go, Commander. The lock is a code system I am not familiar with. I can't even read the characters."

Shepard stepped close to him and looked over his shoulder at the tool. Garrus thanked the spirits that Turians were incapable of blushing as she studied the code. _"Spirits," _he thought. _"What is with me?"_

"I'm no language expert, but that looks like Klingon," Shepard informed them. "I can't read it either."

"Well that's great," Wrex growled. "A code we can't crack in a language we can't read." He turned from where he stood. "And while you two have been trying to crack the door, I've found another way in." He pointed to a hole in the ground. "My own scans with my omni-tool say this leads deep into the building."

Shepard approached him and looked down the hole. It was slightly deeper than Garrus was tall and did seem to lead deeper into the building. She nodded her agreement. "Alright, we'll take this route. Wrex, will you do the honors?"

The Krogan gave a chuckle and rolled his shoulders. "With pleasure, Shepard." The Krogan drew his shotgun and jumped in. "Clear!"

Shepard and Garrus jumped in behind him. With Wrex to take point, they descended deep into the building. In some of the narrower parts of the passage it was difficult to see around Wrex. After a few minutes of travel, the tunnel opened into what looked to be a forgotten part of the skyway.

Just after Wrex had entered the cavern, a disruptor was fired, missing the Krogan but almost hitting Shepard. Shepard could smell the ozone from the ionization of the air near her.

"Hold your fire!" Shepard ordered, with the intent that not only that the shooter would stop but that Wrex wouldn't shoot back. "I am Commander Shepard of the Normandy!"

"I'm so sorry!" came the reply in a female voice, followed by a clatter that Shepard could only assume was the disruptor. "I thought you were those robots!"

Wrex snarled at her. "Do I look like a damn robot?"

Shepard turned the corner just in time to see the woman put up her hands. Shepard glanced at the Asari design disruptor pistol on the ground. "You are?"

"Lizbeth. Lizbeth Baynham. I'm a researcher here."

"Is there anyone else here?" Shepard asked.

"I... I stayed behind to... to try to contact Colonial Command. But then the robots cut power before I could manage a stable subspace link."

"The Feros colony's distress call reached the Citadel. We were dispatched to assist."

Lizbeth glanced at the Starfleet arrowhead sigil on Shepard's armor. "A Federation officer?" She blinked a few times. "Your the human Spectre!"

"I am."

Lizbeth bit her lip, like she had something to say.

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

Lizbeth shook herself. "Nothing." Garrus had picked up the disruptor pistol and handed back to Lizbeth, certain she would not try to shoot them again. "How are the colonists of Zhu's Hope?"

"They're holding their own. Better now since we've destroyed one of the cruiser's dropships. The robots, called the Geth, haven't sent another out. Now," Shepard stepped closer. "I need to know everything you do."

Lizbeth sighed. "Will you do everything you can to help the colonists?"

"Yes."

Lizbeth nodded. "ExoGeni found an ancient lifeform under the colony. We call it a Thorian and it's some form of sentient plant. Now it's sending spores into the air. The colonists are all under its influence. I objected to making the colonists test subjects and was put on probation for it. If I objected further, then they would have made me into a test subject too."

Shepard grimaced. "That doesn't sound good. Is there a way to free the colonists of the influence?"

Lizbeth shook her head. "I can't think of anything."

"We were at the colony not too long ago," Garrus mentioned. "Will we come under the influence of the Thorian?"

"No. It will take extended exposure for it to take effect. Any spores you have inhaled will break down and be safely absorbed in your system."

"Well, before we can deal with this Thorian, we will have to deal with the Geth cruiser clinging to the building."

"I'll go with you. My ID will get you into restricted areas."

Shepard grimaced. "I'm not comfortable with letting a civilian into a firefight."

"I can't go the way you came-" Lizbeth admitted.

Shepard opened a channel. "Chief, can you get the Mako's transporter to work?"

_"Let me check," _Ashley replied. She took a few moments before she replied, _"Yes, Commander. Need a beam out?"_

"Can you lock on to a civilian standing with us?"

_"Granting sanctuary, skipper? I've got a lock."_

Lizbeth handed over her ID and nodded her consent.

"Energize," Shepard ordered.

When Lizabeth was safely away, Shepard hefted her rifle again. "Lets crash this party."

~Mass Trek~

Chakwas performed her scans on the patient. "You did well in your field medicine, Lieutenant. He won't need much more from me, though I'll keep an eye on him."

Kaidan nodded. "He introduced himself as first lieutenant Kahoku before he passed out."

"What was he doing in there?" Chakwas asked.

"Protecting something I have to speak to the Commander or Pressley about," Kaidan replied.

As if on cue, the doors to the infirmary opened and Pressley waltzed in. "Lieutenant Alenko, is everyone alright?"

Kaidan stepped away from the bio-bed. "None of the away team suffered any injuries, and the young lieutenant here only suffered minor injuries. We found that the Geth actually boarded the _Crete_, but it didn't get far. Most of the damage was caused in ship to ship combat." He glanced towards the doctor and the colonial officer. "And we found something in that mysterious compartment you and the Commander will want to hear about. We actually brought it aboard."

"What is it?" Pressley asked.

"The reason the colonies have had such a success against the Batarians. They have rudimentary cloaking technology."

~Mass Trek~

Wrex blasted the last Geth with a disruptor blast from his shotgun. "HA! That was fun! Let's do it again!"

Shepard hurried to the controls. "Let's get rid of that cruiser before they send reinforcements. Hmm."

"What is it?" Garrus asked.

"Apparently, the door control system has a glitch. A enter a certain psi setting in the computers, and they shut with such force that they sheered a shuttle in half. At least, that's what this maintenance request insists." Shepard entered the correct setting. "Let's see if this works." She engaged the shutting mechanisms. "Get to cover. We don't know how bad the shrapnel will be."

Garrus and Shepard shared a console while Wrex stood behind a pillar. When the severing began, Garrus instinctively covered Shepard with his own body. He saw some fire lick at his shields momentarily.

When they heard the cruiser fall, Shepard could hear Joker trying to raise her.

"Go ahead, Joker."

_"Finally. Commander, Lieutenant Alenko and his away team have returned. We're also no longer detecting Geth activity."_

"We just sent their cruiser plummeting to the surface," Shepard replied. "We've just discovered that there's a sentient lifeform under the colony that's affecting the colonists. We're on our way back to deal with it."

_"Do you want us to beam additional security personnel to the surface?"_

"We should have it covered. However, we may need Doctor Chakwas ready to assist."

_"Copy that, Commander."_

"Shepard out." She turned to her team. "Let's move. We've got a first contact to conduct."

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Training is really rough on the brain and takes an enormous amount of my time. The only reason that I got this chapter done was because I had surgery and am on leave until I'm properly healed._

_If you haven't already guessed, I'm trying to lean the story to Garrus being the love interest. I've always liked it. Garrus has been Shepard's most loyal companion throughout the game, provided he survived the suicide mission._

_The story will continue, I hope. I have new ideas for it from time to time._

_Until next time,_

_Live long and prosper._


	12. Chapter 12- Assaulting the Colony

Mass Trek

Chapter 12: Assaulting the Colony

"You're not going to kill them are you?"

Shepard placed a hand on Lizbeth's shoulder. "We'll set our weapons on stun."

"Right..." Wrex shifted uncomfortably. "Stun."

"Wrex," Shepard scolded. "We are going to use stun."

"And usually I'd comply, Shepard. Except..."

"Except?"

"I, uh... removed my weapons' stun settings."

"What?"

"I removed my stun settings."

Shepard started rubbing her temple. "Why?"

"I, uh... needed program room on my disruptors," Wrex admitted. "It was either keep the stun setting or get a new setting that could blow through a wall."

"And, of course, you needed to blow through a wall," Shepard supposed.

"Yeah."

"Williams," Shepard called. "I suppose you didn't see fit to get rid of your stun setting."

Ashley grinned from her seat. "Only on the big ones," she replied, patting the main weapon controls.

Shepard sat herself in the driver's seat and started the engines. "We'll use the stun setting on our weapons to disable the colonists should they resist. We have to get down to the Thorian."

"They're not themselves," Lizbeth argued.

"And that's why we are using the stun setting," Shepard assured her. "Wrex will stay with the Mako."

"C'mon Shepard!" Wrex argued.

Shepard raised a hand to silence him. "At least until the colonists are safe. Then we'll see if this Thorian is friendly or not."

"Then I can have some fun?" Wrex asked.

"If the Thorian proves hostile," Shepard informed him. "But we shall try diplomacy first."

"It's a plant, Shepard."

"It's a newly discovered sentient species, Wrex."

"One that's taking over colonists' minds," Wrex argued.

"And we should try to reason with it before we try to kill it so that it doesn't kill the colonists first."

"Why are we trying to save these people?" Wrex asked.

"Because they are innocent," Shepard explained. "They aren't at fault here."

"They don't matter to us, Shepard," Wrex argued. "We shouldn't stick our necks out for them."

"The Federation doesn't sacrifice civilians."

"Maybe that's why the First Contact War took so long," Wrex angrily suggested. "Your Federation was too concerned about saving innocents and not chasing and destroying the retreating Turian fleets."

"And fifty-thousand civilians were saved. A fifty-thousand that, over the hundred years since the First Contact War, have been the parents and grand-parents some of the brightest minds the Federation has had to offer." Shepard eyed the Krogan. "Putting such a high worth on life is not a weakness. We have proven it to be a great source of strength."

Everyone watched as Wrex mulled this over in his head, then he hissed and looked over the small armory in the Mako. "How does someone use these phasers, anyhow?"

~Mass Trek~

The _Icarus _was relieved by the _New Dublin, a retired B'rel-class Klingon bird-of-prey, and Jarvis had received new orders. He set course back the relay and called his XO to his office._

_Donner took the proffered seat. "What are our orders, sir?"_

_"Command is promoting me to full colonel and given me a new command."_

_Donner raised an eyebrow. "Udina?"_

_Jarvis nodded. "I'll miss the Icarus, especially since she's being decommissioned. Along with every other Daedalus-class."_

_Donner almost gasped. "That doesn't make sense! We can't be anywhere near that ready!"_

_"I suppose we'll see how ready we are when we reach the Mora Nebula," Jarvis revealed._

_"Mora?" Donner looked stumped. "What's in the Mora Nebula?"_

_"The Colonies' greatest secret."_

_~Mass Trek~_

_With two well aimed blasts from her type-II phaser, Shepard stunned the pair of guards that had raised their disruptor rifles at them. Garrus rushed the door and gave a nasty snarl. "They melted the door to its frame."_

_Shepard sighed. "Okay, Wrex. I can see why you'd want a setting to blow through walls." Shepard punched a few buttons on her phaser. "But Federation phasers do quite nicely." She fired on the door._

_When the smoke cleared, Wrex saw that she had vaporized it. He shook his head as he eyed the phaser she was returning to the stun setting. He glanced at the one at his side that Shepard had issued him. He looked up at her. "Federation technology has its perks."_

_"Play your cards right and I might forget to ask for that back," Shepard suggested._

_"And would playing my cards right would mean obeying all your orders."_

_"Got it in one," Shepard replied. "How's the path look, Garrus?"_

_Garrus eyed the corridor beyond. "There's a colonist hiding down the hall. He thinks that he's being sly."_

_Shepard readied her rifle. "I'll take point. Wrex, bring up the rear. Garrus, keep your eyes high." Shepard skipped across the doorway. "Come on boys. Keep up."_

_Shepard under the colonist's shot and fired her own, the stun blast hit him in the chest and knocked him down. The short disruptor rifle clattered across the ground. She quickly returned to her feet and the rest of her team followed on her heals._

_Ashley watched them as the went, then opened a channel to the Normandy. "Adams? Go ahead and bring up the Mako."_

_"Understood Chief. Standby for transport."_

_~Mass Trek~_

_It was fortunate for a colonist that was guarding the way back into the colony that a stunning disruptor shot to the head from a distance wasn't fatal. Especially one that Garrus made._

_Garrus swiftly scoped and dropped the next one, which he watched fall to the soft dirt. Garrus swiftly broke from cover and followed Shepard into the colony. Wrex followed with his type-II phaser at the ready._

_One of the colonists jumped at Shepard from behind a crate, armed with a small pipe. Shepard grabbed the attacker and used his momentum against him, flinging the man over her and to the ground over a meter away. She stunned another charger and let Wrex stun the man she had thrown._

_Garrus foiled the plans of a wannabe sniper, then smacked the face of a colonist who tried to attack him with a frying pan. Drawing his pistol, he stunned a third colonist as she popped out of cover to shoot him._

_Wrex let his shields take a hit as he simultaneously returned fire with the phaser. He began to see the distinct advantages the phaser had over his own weapons. The ease of aiming it and the accuracy of each shot. All the different settings he had looked through while on the Mako. He believed it was a superior piece to his current pistol. It didn't quite fit right in his hands though- he'd have to see it there was a way to customize the grip._

_He was torn from his musings when a colonist jumped on his hump. He quickly grabbed the colonist's leg and pulled the guy off, tossed the guy into the air, and stunned the colonist in the air._

_Shepard ducked under a cleaver being swung at her and knocked the legs from under the guy. The cleaver tumbled in the dirt and the colonist tried to regain his feet, but Shepard knocked him down again and stunned him._

_Soon, the colonists had been subdued and Shepard approached the cargo shuttle that was resting above where Lizbeth had informed them the entrance to the Thorian's lair was. Shepard stepped up to the platform controls and tapped the commands to move the platform to the side. As the platform began to rise above her comrades, Shepard saw movement out of the corner of her eye._

_Shepard ducked Fai Dan's initial swing and scrambled to get out of reach. She got eyes on him and saw that there was a green glow in his eyes. The Thorian was in more direct control of Fai Dan._

_Fai Dan rushed her in an attempt to tackle her. Shepard countered by dropping down and flipping Fai Dan over her. When she turned around, Fai Dan was already up and swinging._

_Shepard blocked, parried, and countered, every attack. As they fought, Shepard analyzed Fai Dan's fighting style. It was a style unlike anything she'd seen. Granted, there were elements of different martial arts she had learned or seen, but the elements were tied together in a way she hadn't seen before. She hits Fai Dan in the gut hard enough that the man stumbled back into the side of the shuttle._

_Shepard went for her type-II, but Fai Dan went for her again. They wrestled for the phaser for a few moments before Fai Dan lifted Shepard into the air and threw her against the shuttle. The phaser flew off the platform. Fai Dan threw a punch which Shepard ducked. Shepard could hear the bones in the man's hands break, yet not even a grunt of pain escaped his lips._

_Shepard rolled and managed to grab her rifle. She swung the rifle and caught Fai Dan in the face, knocking the man down. She turned the rifle around and fired on the colony's leader. Fai Dan stayed down and Shepard felt the platform land. She readied her rifle again and approached Fai Dan._

_Fai Dan was barely conscious, but the glow was gone. He looked Shepard in the eye. "It's... angry at Saren. It thinks that... all of... our kind will try to destroy it. It... hates us. It will... not stop... until it kills... you..." With that, Fai Dan passed out._

_Wrex approached and looked down at the leader. "Is that a good enough reason to kill the Thorian?"_

_Garrus stepped up. "We might be able to convince it that all of us are not like Saren."_

_"But first, we need to get the colonists some medical attention. Garrus, stay up here and keep an eye on the colonists until Doctor Chakwas can look them over."_

_"Don't trust me with them, Shepard?" Wrex asked._

_"Garrus has more experience with Federation tech and procedure," Shepard explained._

_"Are you two going to be okay without me?" Garrus asked._

_"If anything goes wrong, I'll put this phaser and my shotgun to good use," Wrex assured him._


	13. Chapter 13- The Thorian

Mass Trek

Chapter 13: The Thorian

Shepard and Wrex descended the stairs that ExoGeni had cut into the rock floor descending into the tunnel, weapons at the ready. Shepard lit the light on her rifle to light their way, and Wrex did likewise on his shotgun. As they descended, the walls went from being bare to being covered in tendrils, which in the darkness and lit only by their lights, appeared as slithering masses. Shepard squashed a tendril of her own, one of fear, that threatened to rise in her heart. She always had a problem with masses of creepy crawlies. She popped the visor down over her eyes, which enabled her to put the available light to good use. The small computer in her helmet changed the polarity of her visor and the tunnel lit up before her in detail.

After they descend over a hundred meters, the tunnel took a turn and opened up into a cavern. There, in the middle of the cavern and suspended above a massive pit, was the ugliest thing Shepard had seen. It was suspended by thick roots."

"Shepard to Normandy."

_"Pressley here, Commander," _came the slightly garbled transmission. _"We're barely reading you."_

"I believe we've found the Thorian."

_"Acknowledged, Commander," _Pressley replied. _"The Doctor has beamed down with Alenko and Williams. She's looking over the colonists now."_

"Understood. I'll remain in contact while I can. Shepard out." She stepped forward in front, or she assumed she was in front, of the Thorian. "I am Commander Shepard of the Federation Starship Normandy."

The Thorian shuddered, started dripping liquid, and made a squelching sound. Then, without further warning, an orifice rimmed with tentacles opened and spat out a green woman. Shepard's first impression was that the woman was an Orion, but realized the woman was an Asari. The Asari looked up, her eyes alight with the same glow as was in Fai Dan's had been. And just as angry.

The Asari pointed at them. "Invaders! Your every step is a transgression! A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose!" She lowered her arm. "I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."

Wrex harrumphed. Shepard held up a hand to silence him.

"What did Saren want of you?" Shepard asked.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone," the spokeswoman explained. "The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in a long cycle. Trades were made, then cold ones began killing flesh that would tend the next cycle- flesh fairly given. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies and will listen no more!"

"We're not like Saren," Shepard explained. "I am part of an United Federation of Planets that seeks out undiscovered life and civilizations-"

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry!" The green Asari declared. "Your lives are short but have gone on for too long! Your blood will feed the ground for a new growth!"

The Asari lit up her biotics and slammed Shepard against the wall. It was only years of training that kept the rifle in her hands. Wrex lined up a shot with his shotgun on the Asari and blasted her off into the abyss. He ran to her position.

"You alright, Shepard?"

"Fine," She replied as she got up. "The armor kept me from being injured."

"Weapons _off _stun now?" Wrex asked.

Shepard shot a creeper's head clear off. "Yes, Wrex. Set to kill."

Wrex laughed. "Finally." He turned around and fired his shotgun into the mass of creepers that was approaching them. "HAHAHAAAAH!"

Shepard followed the Krogan and shot at creepers that tried to flank Wrex. Wrex had mentioned that he was a biotic, and he certainly liked to show off his skill.

_"Chakwas to Shepard."_

"I'm a little busy right now, Doctor."

_"I figured as much from the sound of weapon fire, Commander," _Chakwas replied. _"The colonists up here are going nuts. If it wasn't for the restrains Williams insisted we bring, they'd be all over us._

_"Commander, these people are being controlled against their will. My tricorder scans show that they will suffer irreparable brain damage if they remain under the influence of this thing for much longer."_

"Understood," Shepard replied. "Shepard out. Wrex! Can you see anyway to take this thing down?"

Wrex blasted the last creeper in the wave and looked up. "This root seems to be a weight bearing one."

Shepard traced the root with her eyes all the way back to the center mass of the Thorian. She pulled out her tricorder. "It's a neural node as well. Take out enough of these, it might release its hold on the colonists. Good work."

Wrex aimed his shotgun at the root and fired. Most of the node shriveled before their eyes, some parts disintegrated, and all liquid present vaporized. The Thorian gave what could only be described as a hideous screech.

Shepard scanned again. "There are a few more of these. Let's see if it decides to negotiate before we knock them all out." Shepard looked down the slope and saw that another Asari had been spat out.

"I'm willing to stop hurting the Thorian if it will be willing to listen to us."

"The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies and will listen no more!" The Asari repeated as she ran up the slope and charged her biotics.

Shepard landed a blast to the middle of the Asari's chest and dropped her. "Let's take out another, Wrex," she ordered.

Shepard and Wrex fought their way to anther node and destroyed it, and again she tried to reason with the Thorian, with the same result of non-compliance. Again, she orders Wrex to destroy a node. Still, the Thorian would not negotiate and insisted on killing them.

On the fourth node, the Thorian gave another screech, and the root snapped. Dust filled Shepard's vision. When the dust cleared, Shepard rushed to get eyes on the Thorian. When she reached a spot where she could get a clear view, she saw that the Thorian had fallen into the abyss, and a normal, blue Asari was on the ledge where the green ones had previously landed.

Shepard and Wrex ran to the Asari. Shepard slung the rifle onto her back and leaned over the Asari. "You alright?"

"I... I think so."

"We have a doctor on the surface. We'll get you to her. What's your name?"

"Shiala. I serve... heh... _served _Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I."

"Let's get you to the doctor."

"I have to tell you. Saren was looking for something. A Cipher. The Thorian gave it to him. I have it now."

"Let's get you to the surface first, then we'll see about that cipher," Shepard insisted.

~Mass Trek~

_"Commander, how did the rescue go?" _Anderson asked over the secure channel.

"The entirety of the colony was under attack by the Geth," Shepard replied. "We destroyed the cruiser that was the source of the attack, discovered that an entity called the Thorian had infected the entire colony with spores, which enabled it to control them. I'm sending what information ExoGeni had on it."

_"How did you get your hands on that information?"_

"Being a Spectre has its benefits. Once the colonists were safe, I returned to the ExoGeni facility and used my authority to convince the building's VI to give me unrestricted access. I downloaded everything I could before the ExoGeni personnel returned and tried to stop me."

_"How did you save the colonists?"_

"I had to kill the Thorian. Apparently, Saren broke the agreement between them and poisoned its mind against anyone who might come and try to attain what it gave him. The Cipher."

_"The Cipher?"_

"The visions the Prothean didn't make a lot of sense because I didn't have any understanding of Prothean culture. The Cipher gave me that."

_"How did you get it?" _Anderson asked.

"One of Benezia's commandos, Shiala, was more or less sacrificed to the Thorian. She was literally inside the entity, which produced clones made of plant matter to speak with us. Through those clones, which have all the abilities of the original, Saren gained the Cipher. Doctor Chakwas gave the okay, having studied up on the Asari abilities. Shiala gave me the Cipher."

_"She volunteered?" _Anderson asked. _"She must have been pretty mad at Saren."_

"She is," Shepard confirmed. "There's also the colonial vessel that was destroyed. I had Alenko take a team to rescue a survivor that was still onboard."

_"And how is that survivor?"_

"Still unconscious, but he's not all that we brought back."

Anderson leaned closer. _"Oh?"_

"The IHC has basic cloaking technology. Enough to fool the Citadel vessels, but none of ours. Alenko team brought it back for analysis."

_"That's explains why they've had great success against the Batarians," _Anderson muttered.

"And that's the last of the important details," Shepard announced. "Other than the colonists are in a debate right now."

_"What about?" _Anderson asked.

"Several topics. Appealing to the Federation for membership. Leaving the Feros and settling on a Federation world. To sue or not to sue ExoGeni." Shepard leaned in close. "There's not a lot of them, sir. They could use some help."

_"I'll send the Isaac to deliver some supplies," _Anderson replied. _"And you better get back to finding Doctor T'Soni."_

"Something come up, sir?"

_"Udina's been acting really smug. I don't like it. Makes me think something is up."_

"I'll get underway as soon as possible, Admiral."

~Mass Trek~

As soon as the _Icarus_ was inside the Mora Nebula, Jarvis ordered the vessel to decloak and send out a specific hail. He then ordered all stop and to wait.

"And what are we waiting for sir?" Major Donner asked.

"Our escort," Jarvis explained. "They'll ensure we are who we say we are and then ensure we aren't being bugged or traced. Once they are satisfied we aren't going to be a threat to their security, then we'll be escorted inside."

"What is inside, sir?" Donner pressed.

Jarvis didn't answer his XO. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and waited.

Suddenly, a few frigates decloaked, followed by a trio of destroyers, a pair of cruisers, and a battleship. The battleship had a primary hull composed of a large sphere with the vessel's nacelles sweeping back from the sides and a secondary hull sweeping back from the ventral side that looked like the back half of a kayak.

The officer at the science station turned to him. "Sir, they've begun their scans. They've also locked weapons on us."

"As to be expected," Jarvis replied.

"I don't recognize their particle weapons, sir. They look to be some form of disruptor weaponry, but I can't get a good enough reading to confirm."

Jarvis turned in his seat. "Belay those scans."

The science officer pressed the commands to cease the scans. "I apologize, sir," the young lieutenant proffered as Jarvis turned back to the view screen.

"Sir," the communications officer called out. "We're receiving instructions to proceed directly ahead at one-quarter impulse."

"Helm, follow those instructions. Proceed when ready."

The _Icarus _proceeded forward at the slow speed while flanked by a cruiser and destroyer while the rest of the fleet cloaked once again. The vessels passed by and, on occasion, through dense clouds of gas. After half an hour of travel, the nebula clouds gave way to a large, clear pocket devoid of gas due to the presence of a gas giant planetoid at the center. And in orbit, a large number of ships, a sizable shipyard, and a strange alien vessel.

"What is that?" Donner asked.

"The colonies' biggest secret, apparently," Jarvis replied.

Donner looked over the alien vessel. The design was unfamiliar. The vessel appeared to have been built for war- a war that must have been more harsh than anything he had seen before. The vessel appeared to have been gutted, apparently in a single slice by some unbelievably devastating weapon.

There was only one reason that the colonies would want to keep this ship a secret from the rest of the galaxy, especially for the amount of time that it would take to build all those shipyards, the ships they had produced, and the new weaponry the ships were equipped with.

The ship was Prothean.


	14. Chapter 14- Battle above Therum

Mass Trek

Chapter 14: Battle above Therum

The _Normandy _came out of warp at the edge of the Knossos system. They had already scanned the rest of the Artemis Tau cluster that wasn't in the clutches of the IHC. It wasn't long before the Federation starship had detected the two Geth cruisers in orbit around the planet known as Therum.

"There are three more warp signatures in the system," Ashley replied. "One that's geth, one I've identified as the Icarus- but it speeds away from the system. There's one more- a really old Klingon signature."

"Where is the location of that signature?" Shepard asked. "I doubt it's still a vessel serving the Empire."

"A quarter of the way around the perimeter of the system," Ashley replied. "She's cloaked, with the same level of cloaking technology that the _Crete _had."

"I bet the Klingons stripped the vessel of the military tech before abandoning it at the scrap yard," Shepard told the chief. "What can you tell me of their tactical capabilities?"

"She has old Turian disruptors and nothing by way of torpedoes. It looks like her engineers have given her a lot of TLC." Ashley looked over her sensors. "I'd hate to scratch her up."

"Let's avoid that, then," Shepard told her. "Let's take care of the Geth first. Red alert. Arm weapons and raise shields. Joker," she called as she returned to the command seat. "Take us in, full impulse power."

"Aye, Commander," Joker replied.

Garrus and Presley stepped onto the bridge. Presley relieved the science station. Garrus stepped into her view.

"I'm here to help in anyway I can, Shepard," Garrus announced.

"We're doing fine up here, Garrus. I'll need you and Tali to prep for the away mission to recover Miss T'soni."

Garrus gave her a look that seemed similar to raising an eyebrow. "Tali, Commander?"

"She has a wealth of intel on the Geth, so she'd be a huge help on this mission," Shepard explained.

"A single hit with her shields down and her life's in danger," Garrus warned.

"The same is true with anyone," Shepard explained.

"Except a glancing hit can be lethal to her," Garrus countered.

Presley turned from the station and interceded. "That's not going to be an issue. Commander, the armory chief had some time on his hands and asked permission to make additional armor for Miss Zorah. He managed to make a set that won't weigh her down significantly, but give her additional protection. It'll take a few minutes to don and doff, but the effort will be well worth it."

"Like I said, Garrus. Get ready to beam down."

Garrus gave her a Turian smile. "Yes, Commander," he replied. He made his way towards the rear entrance to the bridge. He sidestepped Wrex as the Krogan marched onto the bridge.

"We going into battle?" Wrex asked with an almost excitement in his voice.

"There are two Geth cruisers in orbit around Therum. Starfleet's orders state that all Geth vessels be detained or destroyed, and I doubt we'll be able to detain them with that IHC scout ship on the edge of the system. They have their own reasons for attacking the Geth, and I wouldn't put it past them to attack a disable Geth vessel."

"Can't you take all three of them?" Wrex asked. "The _Normandy _is at least a century ahead of their best tech."

"I don't want to begin hostilities with the IHC," Shepard countered as she turned her chair around to face him. "Their weapons might be antiquated and no match for us, but I am not going to undo everything that the Federation has done in reaching out to them."

"Commander," Ashley called out. "The Geth cruisers have turned to face us. They've armed their weapons and raised their shields."

"On screen," Shepard ordered as she turned her chair around again to face forward. The screen changed to display the cruisers, with the planet's atmosphere on the left. "How long until they are within weapons range?" Shepard asked.

"Two minutes until we can lock weapons," Ashley reported. "I don't know when they can lock those plasma weapons on us."

Shepard eyed the Geth ships. "Ashley, what can you determine how heavily armed they are?"

"Already did that, Skipper. They have one forward plasma torpedo launcher and one aft. They also have multiple plasma turrets that look like they're designed to fire pulses of plasma as compared to a whole torpedo. I guess those pulses are their version of phasers or disruptors."

"I guess we'll see first hand if they work the same," Shepard replied. "Ready, Williams?"

"We have phaser lock," Ashley reported.

"Fire."

The _Normandy_'s forward phasers fired multiple pulses, which quickly impacted the targeted cruiser. The cruisers did not return fire.

"Direct hit on their shields," Ashley reported. "Geth shields are down to ten percent. Continuing to fire."

The phaser pulses to pound the cruiser. The shields failed to stop the phasers and impacted on the hull.

"Fire torpedoes at will," Shepard ordered.

Ashley fired a single quantum torpedo. The Geth attempted to shoot the torpedo with their plasma pulses, but failed to do so and the torpedo impacted the hull of the geth vessel. The cruiser exploded from the inside out as the torpedo detonated and tore the vessel to bits.

Ashley's console beeped at her. She looked down at them and blinked. "Commander, there's an energy buildup in the second cruiser. I think it's preparing to fire something."

"Commander, look!" Joker pointed. "There's something being lowered from the ventral hull."

"I don't like the look of that," Wrex muttered.

"Joker, evasive maneuvers!" Shepard ordered.

"Already on it!" Joker called back.

"They're firing!" Ashley warned.

The beam weapon missed them. The shields of the _Normandy _were bombarded with radiation, successfully keeping out the dangerous kinds. Joker evaded a second shot, then a third.

"Analysis!" Shepard ordered.

"It appears to be molten ore accelerated to warp speeds," Presley replied. "If we were hit with that, Commander, then they would have passed right through our shields, hull, and out the other side."

"Williams! Knock out that weapon!" Shepard ordered.

Ashley fired the dorsal phaser array multiple times at the weapon. The beams impacted the shield, but it did not falter.

"The second cruiser is more heavily shielded, Skipper," Ashley reported. "It must be because it's carrying such a devastating weapon. I don't think we're going to break though it."

"It looks to be on par with the strength of a starbase's," Presley added.

"They _would _want to protect such a weapon better than the ordinary cruiser," Shepard mused. "Joker, take us out of that weapon's range. I bet we're faster than that vessel."

"Aye, Commander."

Joker raced the _Normandy _around Therum and put the planet between them and the geth cruiser. The cruiser couldn't keep up.

"They can't hit us here, Commander," Joker pointed out.

"How can they launch molten liquid across space at warp speeds without forming a subspace bubble for it?" Shepard asked.

"I'm analyzing the sensor logs, Commander," Presley reported. "There appears to be a small subspace bubble generated inside the barrel of the weapon just before it fires. The liquid is propelled to warp speed inside the weapon, and allowed to decelerate once it leaves the cannon." He turned to face the Commander. "It's similar to what would happen if the _Normandy _suddenly lost its warp bubble, except not as chaotic."

"But how does it remain in a stream and not rapidly disperse?" Ashley asked.

"Perhaps the same way that plasma weaponry is kept from doing the same, except at a more efficient way," Presley supposed.

"No matter what the physics are, we have to disable that weapon before they hit us with it," Shepard pointed out. "Options."

Joker looked over his console. "We have to come up with a plan fast. We'll see them in a few minutes."

"So soon?" Presley asked.

"They turned around to intercept us," Joker replied. Presley grimaced, wondering why he, as an experienced navigator, didn't think of that.

Wrex scratched his scars. "What about what Kirk did to disable the Turian super-shield around the captured Druid-Four station back during the early part of the First Contact war?"

Ashley searched her memory. "He had the _Remington _modify its deflector array to emit a powerful pulse to knockout the super-shield. It became known as the _Remington Maneuver_. But it took eighteen minutes to charge and had to be fired as soon as it was ready and it burnt out the defector."

"Well, you've had over a century to advance your deflector technology," Wrex pointed out.

Shepard took a second to consider it. "Let's do it."

"Aren't you concerned about burning out the deflector?" Wrex asked.

"Deflectors are a lot more robust these days," Ashley explained. "Besides, we can repair our deflector array to an extent. Enough to get it working long enough to arrive at a starbase to fully repair it."

"Computer," Presley called out. "Display the calculations made for the _Remington Maneuver_." The calculations scrawled onto the screen. "I'll have to reconfigure the calculations to work for our deflector. Hold on," he added, looking at a footnote. "Apparently, a cadet at the academy already updated the calculations for 24th century as a final project. It was verified usable by Starfleet Command. It will take a significantly shorter time to adjust the calculations for our deflector." He turned to look at Shepard. "I need a large source of power to charge the pulse."

"Divert warp power for the pulse," Shepard ordered.

"Two minutes until contact," Joker warned.

"Buy us time, Joker," Shepard ordered.

Joker turned the Normandy towards Therum's north pole. "That should buy us some time."

"I'm almost done," Presley announced. "Chief, I suggest you start charging for the pulse."

"Charging," Ashley reported. Her console beeped. "Skipper, the Geth vessel has changed course to aim they're weapon at us."

"Joker, keep that weapon off us."

"Happy to oblige," Joker replied. He tapped a command on the panel. "We should be over the horizon before the weapon can target us."

Suddenly, the _Normandy _rocked, and a red beam shot over her.

"That was close," Ashley reported. "The shockwave was from the molten ore falling through the light barrier from warp speed."

"Sorry, Commander. I underestimated their turning speed," Joker replied. "Won't happen again."

"This is our first fight ship-to-ship with the Geth, Joker," Shepard told him. "We're _all _still learning. Damage report," Shepard ordered.

"Shields at eighty percent," Ashley reported. "That's about it, other than a few little bruises among the crew."

"I'm ready here," Presley announced.

"Same here," Ashley replied.

Shepard nodded. "Joker, reverse course. Get us on track with the cruiser."

"Right away, Commander."

"I'm going to need some of your fancy flying, Joker," Shepard warned him.

"I'm always happy to show you what my baby can do, Commander."

It wasn't long before the Cruiser was within sight again. Joker already was making it really difficult for the beam to hit them. The Geth made several attempts to hit them, but each missed.

"Can you fire the pulse, Chief?" Shepard asked.

"We have to get closer," Ashley replied.

"Getting closer will make it harder to avoid the beam," Joker warned. "Our best chance will be to flank them so they can't get a bead on us."

"Do what you have to, Joker," Shepard told him.

The _Normandy _shook again. "Another close call," Ashley announced.

Joker brought the _Normandy _hard and fast to starboard, then bore down on the Geth cruiser.

"Fire at will, Williams!" Shepard ordered.

"Firing!" Williams called out.

The _Normandy _rocked again, but this time by her own doing. The deflector let out the pulse with an almighty roar. The pulse hit the forward section of the cruiser, knocking the cruiser's nose towards Therum.

"Their shields are down! Firing torpedoes!" Ashley shouted.

Two quantum torpedoes streaked across the space between the _Normandy _and the Geth ship, impacting and detonating inside the cruiser. The cruiser blew apart spectacularly, and the _Normandy _flew through the flames.

Everyone exhaled in relief- except Wrex, who laughed in exhilaration, then looked around and wondered why everyone wasn't celebrating too.

"We've burned out nearly a third of our deflector circuits, Commander," Ashley reported. "Repair teams are already getting it ready."

"Thank you, Williams. Wrex, gear up. You're coming to the surface too. Presley, you have the bridge. I want a scan of the surface and Doctor T'soni's location before we complete the next orbit."

"Commander, that shield was of sophisticated design," Presley told her. "It's also inconsistent with what we know of Geth technology." Presley turned to look at her. "Someone has to be helping the geth."

Shepard nodded. "I agree. While we're on the surface, see if you can decipher anything from the sensors about that shield," she ordered as she lead Wrex off the bridge.

The first part of their walk was spent in silence before Shepard let her curiosity get the better of her. "Wrex, you don't strike me as the history buff."

"I'm not."

"Yet you were aware of the _Remington _Maneuver," Shepard pointed out.

"Not by name, but by experience," Wrex replied. "I saw it deployed myself." He smiled at the memory. "Twelve Starfleet vessels led by Kirk against thirty Turian vessels- a general whose name I don't even remember. The Turians were all formed up and ready to defend their captured station."

"If I recall," Shepard interjected, "the capture of the station was the highlight of the war for the Turians."

"And the loss a devastating blow," Wrex replied. "I was on a shuttle, watching the battle from the safety of the sidelines. I watched as Kirk's fleet battled the Turians, all the Federation vessels protecting the _Remington. I thought the ship was loaded with your Marines or something, not boosting a weapon that could take down the station's shields. Then the damn thing fired, and I knew I was watching all the hopes the Turians ever had of turning the war around shatter." Wrex grinned._


End file.
